Forms
by Yoru No Grim
Summary: Sorry it took so long to update! Five years after the Golden Sun rises, something stirs... Now updated (finally) with chapter 13. Sorry if the chapter sucks. My perfectionist streak finally ended! YAY! Tell me if that's a good thing.
1. Things Always Come in Threes

8BTFreek: Well, I decided to start writing this to fill the void that my life has become.  
  
RM: That's not a bad idea, but you don't generally write to fill a void. _You_ generally write to create a void in someone's mind.  
  
Freek: Shut up, or I'll sic White Mage on you.  
  
RM: Bring it on, pansy boy!  
  
WM: Red Mage, how dare you? *Smacks RM with Big-ass hammer*  
  
Freek: Anyway, let's just get on with it. I'm adding a new character, Rhoen. He's got some issues, though...  
  
(In the CharLab (c) )  
  
Rhoen: You brought me into this world, Freek. You made me your RL self. I'll get you for this. I'll force you to... to... to... GAAAAH!!!!  
  
(In the FreekLair (c) )  
  
Nynaeve: I'd say he's got a grudge. Scratch that, he's got an anger problem. No, that doesn't seem to cover it either... I'd say he's as messed up as you. But at least you began writing this fic. Unlike some days...  
  
Freek: Riight. Let's just get on with the fic. Oh, and I don't own Golden Sun in any way, shape, or form. So now, chapter 1 of Forms!  
  
**Chapter 1: Things Always Come in Threes**  
  
Ivan bolted upright. {He's not dead,} he thought. He sat there, wondering what to do, when the woman next to him sat up.  
  
"Ivan, dear, what's the matter?" Her purple hair flowed down her back.  
  
"Nothing, Feizhi. Go back to sleep." He got up and started pacing the floor.  
  
"Another dream, Ivan? What was it?" Her eyes were filled with concern. He hadn't seen her this worried since the day she predicted the disaster on the Silk Road. "Was it... one of those?" He knew what she meant.  
  
"I think so... But it was different. I need to get to Vale, and I need to get there now!" He began ruffling through his possessions. "Where did I put that Teleport Lapis?"  
  
"I believe you lent it to Sheba and Piers last month. Or did you forget? I thought Jupiter Adepts had good memories." She smiled. Five years ago, that smile had ensnared him. "Anyway, you cannot expect to make the journey alone. I will go with you."  
  
He shook his head. "No, I can't take you with me. It would be too perilous." She sighed.  
  
"Honestly, what is it with men and their thoughts? Do you even think? Or can you not remember that I managed to survive three years apart from you? If I can survive that, I can survive anything." She laughed. Ivan's will weakened. "Besides, you don't look up to a trip." He scowled.  
  
"Well, if I need you, you'll be there. But you'll need me." He grabbed the small travel bag and began packing it. "Take some clothes, but make sure you bring some money. I have a feeling we'll be staying in Vale for a while."  
  
Dawn broke over the Karagol as they walked away from the city.  
  
***  
  
Sheba stared out at the ocean. {So calm, so peaceful. If only my dreams had been this way...} She sighed, then turned back to Piers. "Piers, we need to head for Vale. Something big is about to happen. I'm not sure what, but it's something very important. And if we miss it, then..." She cut herself short. She wanted to say that the world would end, but that didn't sound quite right. It also didn't sound right to just leave it hanging, but that was better than saying something.  
  
"Fine. We'll turn the ship around, then head straight for Vale." He turned the helm and pointed it to the north. "Have you got the Hover Jade?"  
  
"Yes. I'm using it right now." She sighed, then the glow of Psynergy surrounded her as she used the Hover Jade to lift the ship into the air.  
  
***  
  
Rhoen stopped just outside of the city. He recognized the tremors of power-they were inescapable where he came from. Something had almost happened, he realized. Something that was intended, but blocked. Then he realized that if he stood there, people would try to rob him. Quickly, he walked into the city. "Excuse me, but could you point me to Vale, please?"  
  
The man shrugged. "I know about Vault, but there ain't no Vale, so far as I know. Ya might want ta try askin' them, though. They know a lot about that kind a stuff. It's just right cross the Goma Range. Just about a half a mile cross there, an' you got it. Maybe they know about your hidden city." Rhoen nodded, then paid the man 25 coins.  
  
"Thank you, good sir." He walked out of the city. A half-built palace loomed behind him.  
  
***  
  
Freek: And that's chappy 1. A bit short, but it's just an introduction. I know I'm going to get reviews saying that the chappy was too short, though. I just know it. Well, review or I'll send Nynaeve after you! 


	2. One Week Later

8BTFreek: Well, here I am, not even my first chapter, and I've already got reviews! Thanks, guys!  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
Mesoforte: Thank you!  
  
JokersSpecter: Thanks for the review. Things will definitely develop in more interesting ways. There will be an interesting plot device in this chapter. Oops! I've said too much!  
  
A Christian Loser: Well, you're the second one to call it short-the first was me. And yes, this will be interesting. As I said before, plot device coming up.  
  
EchoKazul: Yeah, it's a bit short, but that's only 'cause it's the intro. Otherwise, it would've been longer. Although I think I cheated the readers. I could've put more in, like more of an intro with spoilers for those who haven't finished TLA, but I'm not that cruel. They're coming in this chapter.  
  
Rallalon: I mean "New Vale." It's just called Vale because I don't think they'd want to remind themselves that Vale had been destroyed. They'd just want to live their lives normally. Both of your guesses were correct! Very good.  
  
tigerlily: I'm updating, I'm updating! See?  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
Nynaeve: You'd better not put in spoilers! I'm trying to finish Mars Lighthouse!  
  
Freek: Well, don't read until you're done. There's some basic end stuff in here.  
  
Nynaeve: Someone do the disclaimer. I've got to finish the game.  
  
Alex: I'll do it. Golden Sun is the property of Camelot. Not 8BTFreek, Camelot. Any claims to the masterpiece by this insignificant little twerp are false. And now, on with the chapter. Freek, I'd start typing if I were you.  
  
**Chapter 2: One Week Later**  
  
"Ivan? Is it really you?" Garet smiled at his old friend. "What's it been? Two years? Three?"  
  
"Almost four, Garet. What do you think?" He smiled, then leaned on the end of his staff.  
  
"I think Isaac will flip when he sees you. You realize you missed his wedding?" The smile slid of Ivan's face. "Don't tell me you didn't know about it. It was all he talked about last time we saw you." His expression sunk further. "Oh, damn. You did forget."  
  
"Well, I do have something good to tell you. You remember Feizhi?"  
  
"You mean Master Hama's apprentice? What about her?" Ivan signaled to the woman standing next to him. She pulled down the hood of her cloak and smiled at him. Garet said nothing-he just stood there, his mouth hanging open. "It's... it's impossible! She was in Xian, and we haven't been there for..."  
  
"You may not have been there, but I went back there after Vale was rebuilt. There she was, just like a few years ago. Well, I went up to her and started a conversation. Just as I was about to tell her what had happened to our little group, one of Hammet's soldiers came riding up to me. He told me that Hammet wanted me in the palace, and there was to be no questioning-just go. So I said a quick good-bye, told her I'd be back, and left. Of course, I had no idea that Master Hammet would want to re-hire me. So I stayed there, but my thoughts drifted back to Xian. I guess it sent some sort of signal to Feizhi. She came looking for me." He realized he was rambling, then grinned sheepishly and bowed out of the way. Feizhi picked up where he had left off.  
  
"Well, I had a hard time getting into the palace, until I said I was Ivan's friend. Then they let me in. It was a very big place, but there was a nice lady who told me where to find him. She said he was in the Grand Hall. I walked around until I found it. There was Ivan, standing in a servant's uniform, serving a lord and lady. I called out his name, and his head whipped around. We went off for a while, and talked some more. We spent a few months meeting like this. Finally, we realized that we were more than just friends. I'm sorry you weren't at the wedding-it was a fine wedding, and Ivan did send out invitations." Garet reddened-he had gotten the invitations, but he didn't think they could make the deadline. "Anyway, that's not why we came here."  
  
"Although it is nice to see you," Ivan interjected. "No, we're here because of a dream." Garet laughed. He stopped suddenly, looking at something behind Ivan.  
  
"Sheba? Piers? What in Iris's name are you doing here?!" Ivan turned to see his friends standing there. The ship was just on top of the hill. Garet ran off, shouting, "I'm getting the others! You just wait here!" He ran off into the middle of the crowd.  
  
"Sheba, Piers, it's great so see you again! What's been happening lately? Have you found it yet?" They both knew what he was talking about-Sheba's past was still an enigma, even after five years of searching. They shook their heads. "Tough luck. Say, Garet's just gone to get the others! This is turning into a very nice reunion." Feizhi gave a little cough. "Oh. Hey, guys. You didn't get to meet Feizhi, did you?"  
  
Sheba walked up to her. "So you're the little girl that stole Ivan's heart, eh? Well, congratulations. I only wish I could be you."  
  
"Yeah, he's real sweet. Except when he gets mulish, of course." The girls laughed. Piers nudged Ivan in the ribs. He pointed to the new pub and shook his coin purse. Before they could leave, though, Garet came running back. Jenna and Isaac were following with a little girl, about two years old. Mia was there, too. Felix and Hama approached, moving slowly. Ivan noticed a little boy at their feet. He was at most four years old.  
  
When Hama saw them, she ran up to Ivan and Feizhi. "Ivan! This is quite a surprise, isn't it? Last time I saw you, you were back in Contigo!" She looked at Feizhi. "And Feizhi! Don't tell me you're married to this slacker?!" She nodded, and Hama exploded with laughter. "That's good. It's about time he settled down."  
  
Jenna was busy with Piers. "Honestly, you still haven't found it? If I wasn't so busy with Jade, I'd be with you, making sure you searched thoroughly." She looked at Sheba again. She was busy with Felix.  
  
"Felix, stop being overprotective. Honestly, you know Piers! He wouldn't harm a hair on my head! Stop it!" He was busy asking her what Piers had done on the trip. She knew that if he heard anything that sounded like him falling in love with her, Piers wouldn't live to see the day out. "Honestly, would I lie to you?" {Okay, so maybe I didn't tell him about the poetry or the candlelit dinners, but still, that's just him being his romantic self!}  
  
Garet and Mia quickly said "Hello" to all of their friends, then snuck off into the pub. Isaac tried entering the conversations, failing miserably. He sat down on a rock to clear his thoughts, and by chance saw the stranger entering town. He walked over to the gate and greeted the man. "Hello, what can I do for you?"  
  
"This is Vale, correct?" The man's accent was thick, and sounded strange. "It is the town of the Adepts on Angara?" Isaac nodded. "May I speak with your mayor? I have something urgent to tell him." Isaac nodded, but just as the man started walking, he had a sword pointed at his chest.  
  
"I'm afraid not," came Piers's voice. "Go back to Q'tlataresh, you bastard. Go back, and don't bother these people." It was Piers. Apparently, he would have liked nothing more than to sheathe his sword in the man's stomach.  
  
"Nothing doing, Lemurian. I have something to tell the town mayor. If he doesn't hear it, then all will go wrong!" The man spoke strangely, almost as if the language was unfamiliar to his tongue. "Lemurian, if you don't let me go... Oh, drazhd verbagya! Let me go! I must speak with the mayor! Would you have the blood of the innocent on your hands?" Piers thought for a minute, then put up his blade.  
  
"You may explore the city. But if I hear of one murder, you will not live to see the next day." The man nodded, then ran off. Isaac turned to face his friend.  
  
"Piers, what was that about?" Piers said nothing. He put his sword back in its scabbard, then slowly turned to face Isaac.  
  
"Post a guard wherever that man stays. He's Q'tiil. I'll explain when everyone's been gathered." Piers walked off, his normally calm exterior disrupted by a cold fury.  
  
***  
  
Rhoen ran off to a secluded plateau, just above where the others were talking. {Stupid Lemurian. He thinks we're all the same, but he has no clue... Dammit. I wish I had been normal. Then I wouldn't have to be here.} He took another look at the girl the Lemurian had entered town with. {He's a hypocrite as well. Disliking me for being Q'tiil, then falling in love with one of our women without a care.} He snarled, then calmed down. {I should probably take a look at the city. That will calm me.} He walked off to a small hillside, then looked at a beautiful garden. There were beautiful flowers of all sorts blooming in it. "Whoever planted this should be commended," he remarked to no one in particular.  
  
"Thank you, sir." A female voice caught him from behind. He spun to see a woman standing there. But she wasn't just a woman, in his eyes. To him, she seemed an angel.  
  
"Yes, it's beautiful. Er, my name's Rhoen. Yours?"  
  
"It's Kay." She smiled, a sad smile. She looked out and saw a young couple walking by. It was then that he noticed rage creping across her face. The smile had been abandoned, replaced by a frown. She hands were clenched, and she looked like she was about to kill if another couple walked by. She mumbled something under her breath.  
  
***  
  
"It's not fair," she muttered. {Why can't I find someone? Why doesn't love find me?} She shook with rage. An angry yell almost escaped her throat when she felt an arm go around her shoulder. She spun around to see Rhoen trying to calm her down.  
  
"Listen, shouting and being angry won't do anything." He withdrew his hand from her shoulder, taking her hands in his. His hands were unusually cold. "I should know. I've been in situations like that before." His voice was calming, almost like a babbling brook. Slowly, she let go of her rage. He smiled. "That's better." He turned to walk away. She ran after him.  
  
"Listen, do you have a place to stay?" He turned around.  
  
"No, I don't. Why?" A look of suspicion crossed his face.  
  
"Well, why don't you stay at my place?" He looked reprehensive. "Don't worry, we'll be with my parents." He was still a bit hesitant. "You'll have your own room, if that's what you're worried about." He sighed with relief, then nodded.  
  
"It would be a pleasure, Madam Kay." He took her hand in his, knelt, and kissed it. She blushed. Nobody had ever said or done anything like that before.  
  
***  
  
Freek: Well, that's all I can think of for this chapter. Next chapter: Piers's revelation, and some other creepy things.  
  
Nynaeve: Just review. The more reviews he gets, the sooner the next chapter comes. And, being who I am, I will like that. So if you don't review, you will get a chance to experience my anger firsthand.  
  
Freek: Eep! *Runs and hides in a secluded corner of the FreekLair* 


	3. Beholder's Eye

8BTFreek: Hooray! More reviews! Thanks, guys!  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
tigerlily98: Don't worry, it's coming this chapter.  
  
Mesoforte: Okay, so I happen to like Kay... What's wrong with that? Besides, Rhoen is not a carbon copy of myself. If I'd had his past, they'd have me as a ward of the state right now. And yes, the plot's coming-slowly... And don't think I couldn't handle Ivan... if Rand were here.  
  
JokersSpecter: O_O I'm on your favorite stories list?! Woohoo! *dances around the room, half-insane* I'm okay. Trust me, though. Most of the stuff in the last chapter? Just background and plot devices.  
  
Wolfy129: That's okay. As long as you read, it's fun, right? But thanks for reviewing anyway. It lifts my spirits.  
  
Rallalon: Yup. Oh, and I envision him as more of a gentleman-more on that this chapter. But other than that... As for the whole Pi(ers/card) thing... "He's going to flip" doesn't begin to cover it. And please don't beat me up for using "Piers." It's just because I have the US version of the game, that's the only version I've played, and I have a preference for that name. It's just me.  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
Nynaeve: YES!!  
  
Freek: Let me guess. You just beat Dullahan.  
  
Nynaeve: No, I beat him while you were writing the last chapter.  
  
Freek: Then why didn't you jump up and scream?  
  
Nynaeve: I was too busy recuperating.  
  
Freek: Ah. So it's the Doom Dragon, then?  
  
Nynaeve: Yes. Anyway, we need someone to do the disclaimer. *Grabs Gannon* You'll do.  
  
Gannon: *sigh* Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, but he does own Rhoen, the land of Q'tlataresh, the language of the people of the land of Q'tlataresh, and the idea of the land of Q'tlataresh, homeland of the Q'tiil. Now then, on with the writing, or I'll knock you upside the head with my trident.  
  
Freek: Eep!  
  
**Chapter 3: Beholder's Eye**  
  
Piers stepped into the inn. Everyone was there. He smiled to himself. This would be important. "Ahem. Thank you for coming. I have something to tell you all. You realize that there was someone who entered town today? A stranger?" They nodded. Garet had cleared the inn beforehand, so only those Piers had invited were there; namely, his travel companions and a few others. "Well, there is something important I must tell you about him. He is Q'tiil." Only Isaac recognized the name, and that was just because he had heard it from Piers's mouth earlier that day. "They are dangerous, violent, crude-indeed, they are like animals."  
  
"How do you know?" asked Garet, his voice popping up from the back.  
  
"Records of them exist from the Golden Age. Back then, they were rude, crude, and violent. It is said that they had thirteen civil wars to determine their leader by the last years of the Age, and that they were growing more warlike with each progressing day. They did not care about taking land-they killed for pleasure. Then, not even a hundred years ago, a Q'tiil warship crashed into our soil. There was only one survivor. He has since been a prisoner. He told us of life there, and it has apparently not changed much. He looked much like this Rhoen, but his hair was brown instead of black, and he had red eyes, not blue. But otherwise, he was the same." He paused for breath.  
  
In this moment, Isaac said, "Then why did you not tell us until now?" The others murmured in agreement. Ivan even went so far as to say, "right!"  
  
"I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention. If the others had known, then it would have done no good. Our wars with them should not be your concern." He paused again, unsure of what to say.  
  
"You've had wars with them? When? How many?" Sheba's voice echoed from the back.  
  
"Only a two or three, and the only recent one had ended a few years before my birth. But still, he is dangerous. I have asked Isaac to post a guard to follow him. I will not let Vale become the next Maren Heights." At the looks of the others, he went into an explanation. "The Battle of Maren Heights, about a hundred and fifty years ago, was fought between the Q'tiil and the Lemurians. It centered around an island in the middle of the Great Eastern Sea. The two armies fought on the island, but the Q'tiil gave our men the slip and slaughtered most of the population. As a final act, they forced the island to sink into the depths of the ocean." The others seemed alarmed. {As well they should. We're dealing with an enemy whose power is limitless, whose force is beyond our comprehension, and whose ethics are nonexistent.} Of course, he had only heard that from his father and his uncle, so he didn't know if that was true about one by himself or not, but he had a sneaking suspicion they were right.  
  
***  
  
Rhoen sighed. "I didn't mean to be a source of strife in your family, Kay."  
  
"It wasn't you. It seems my parent's don't think too highly of my decision. They don't care about the fact that you calmed me down, they think something's going to happen, they-" She stopped in mid-sentence. Rhoen was looking pained. "What? What's the matter?"  
  
"Kay, if you think your family has problems... Honestly, I'd give the world to have a family like yours. They're kind, polite, and well brought up. Whereas my family... I had three brothers and five sisters. One of my brothers was constantly trying to murder me in my sleep, my father was a cold-blooded murderer, and one of my sisters thought it was funny to - to - it's too painful to remember." She brought her arm around his shoulder and hugged him close.  
  
"It's okay. You can tell me. I promise I won't hate you for it." {What could be so disturbing that it would still make him afraid even now?} she thought.  
  
"Okay. Every night, my youngest sister, Essaraa, would sneak into my room. She would strip naked and climb into my bed, after which I would roll myself onto the floor. I think I lost about five years of sleep just through that alone. And when my father found out, the demon made me stay in my bed that night. Of course, I wrapped myself in sheets. What I didn't expect was that the bastard would send all five of my sisters in." She had drawn away from him, her face filled with disgust. "I swear to you, all of what I have said about myself is true. I would swear on my own blood, if it would be more of a comfort for you." He grabbed a dagger and slit his left cheek. "I swear, what I said is true." Blood ran down his face like teardrops. "I swear it, Lady Kay of Vale." She still stayed away, that same disgusted look on her face. "Chae'rynn drazhd! Do you know why I call myself Rhoen? Because that is not my true name."  
  
A look of fright crept into her face. {He's serious, isn't he?} Slowly, she approached him again. "Then why do you call yourself that? What does it mean?"  
  
He spoke in halted tones. "In the language of the Q'tiil, a rhoen is a fool. Not just any fool, though. A rhoen will take risks that no other Q'tiil would take. Facing a man in a fair fight, using honest tactics, helping others with no thought of consequences. Well, that is who I am. And I only knew one other like me-Seren, my youngest brother. Honestly, the memory of him is all that keeps me going, sometimes." He buried his head in his hands. "But he was killed. Murdered by a power-hungry Adept named Alex." She walked back over to him, almost afraid he would hurt her. Slowly, she put her arm around him. "That is why I did not want to come and stay with you. I did not want to share a bed with a woman, even if..." He stopped, leaving it hanging.  
  
{Even if what? Even if he loves me?} "What is it? Why were you so nervous?"  
  
"The only women I knew were my sisters, if whores can be called women. They were not kind or generous. They were typical Q'tiil women - caring only for money, without a concern for others or even themselves. If they die rich, they die happy. I hope that the rest of my blood-kin are dead. The world is better without them." He sighed. "And when I came here, I saw that the stereotypes die hard. A Lemurian was in this town. He tried to kill me because I was born Q'tiil. He's such a blind fool, he wouldn't notice the earth under his feet, and when he did, he would protest it wasn't there to hold him up." He got up. "And now, madam, I must ask you to leave. You said this room would be mine. I wish to be alone with my thoughts now." She nodded, then exited. Through the closed door she could hear his voice cry out, "Take me, Iris. Your light has abandoned me. Even angels fear me. Take me from this cruel world." She opened the door again. He was sitting on the end of his bed, sobbing. Quickly, he sat up. Drying the tears from his eyes, he said, "I thought I asked you to leave."  
  
"I... I heard you talking, so I let myself in. Listen, if you're planning suicide, I'll kill you first. And I'm not about to do that, no matter how lecherous you were in the past." He looked up at her. She looked back at him, then closed the door. She didn't want any more surprises that night.  
  
***  
  
After she slammed the door shut for a second time, he cried to himself. {I knew it. I tell her of my past, and she hates me. She has no idea of life in Q'tlataresh. If she did, maybe she would be more sympathetic. But she cannot find out. She is too innocent. And I cannot risk harming the innocent.} Slowly, he tried to tap into his Psynergy again. Maybe it had grown stronger. "Flare," he muttered. A small flame popped at his feet. "Flare wall," he tried. Nothing. Sighing, he tried again. "Whirlwind." Nothing. "Quake." Even his delicate glass figurine didn't move. "Douse." A small cloud appeared. "Drench," he tried again. Nothing. He kept trying Psynergies, but those were the only two that worked. Douse and Flare. He tried to sleep, but the shapes invaded his dreams again. In his sleep, he muttered, "No. I will not use that power. Never. Not that power."  
  
When he woke up the next morning, the first thing that came to his mind was an old Q'tiil saying. "Truth is up to the beholder's eye." He laughed to himself, trying to picture the fool that would actually take that seriously.  
  
***  
  
Freek: And that's the end of chapter 3.  
  
Nynaeve: Where's RM, Freek?  
  
Freek: Well, I've got him waiting outside for a portal. He's going on vacation, too. But I'm hoping he won't come back from this one.  
  
Nynaeve: Oh. Where's Rand?  
  
Freek: He's on his vacation.  
  
Nynaeve: Mario?  
  
Freek: Getting cream soda.  
  
Nynaeve: Anyone?  
  
Freek: Well, Gannon's playing Monopoly against Alex and BM in his chamber.  
  
Nynaeve: I don't feel like joining them. One more question. Why did you have to be such a bastard to Rhoen?  
  
Freek: It's my fic. Now then, to my readers: Review, or face the wrath of eight of my ten muses! Mwahaha!  
  
Nynaeve: *slowly backs away* 


	4. To Hear is to Forget

8BTFreek: Even more reviews! This is cool!  
  
Nynaeve: Not when you check your e-mail 500 times a day!  
  
8BTFreek: Not 500.  
  
Nynaeve: 499 then. Anyway, let's get on with the responses.  
  
REVIEWER RESPONSES:  
  
Joker's Specter: Well, I'm updating now!  
  
Mesoforte: Using a school computer? Hm... Well, try using something like a home computer and you won't be so rushed.  
  
tigerlily: Well, he hasn't gotten over the superstitions yet. Once that happens, Piers will realize that Rhoen's a nice guy... Just in time for something bad to happen. Oh, how I love plot twists! *eyes glow*  
  
ACL: Interesting... *Steeples fingers, leans back in chair* Excellent.  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
8BTFreek: Well, this is it. The chapter you've all been waiting for. The end of the waiting! The new dawn in the story! Another moving episode! The one that-  
  
Muses: Get on with it!  
  
8BTFreek: Oh, all right. Chapter 4 of Forms, "To Hear is to Forget!"  
  
Rand: And 8BTFreek doesn't own Golden Sun, although he does own the Q'tiil, Q'tlataresh, Rhoen, and the concept of Kayshipping!  
  
8BTFreek: My most precious creations.  
  
**Chapter 4: To Hear is to Forget**  
  
Kay got up a little earlier than usual. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the dream she'd just had. Just as she was thinking this, something crashed outside her window. {Then again, maybe that happened.} She pulled open the shades. Standing outside was Rhoen, next to a fallen tree. He looked like he'd just knocked it down himself. {How'd he do it? Does he have a sword?}  
  
He noticed her looking out. "Hey, Kay! You finally up? Get dressed and come out here! I've got a surprise for you!" She looked out the window, trying to see the sun.  
  
"Where's the sun?" she asked.  
  
"Not up yet! C'mon, it's already 5:00!" He started dragging the tree trunk down toward the house.  
  
"Wake me up at sunrise, okay? Adepts need sleep too!" Muttering angrily, she shut her window and went back to sleep. The dream came again, though.  
  
***  
  
Kay was floating in an inky void, but there was something sinister there. She tried to swim away, but no matter which direction she went in, it was closer. She tried kicking to see where it was, but it grabbed her foot and pulled her in. A lopsided face grinned, jagged teeth sticking out in odd directions. "To hear is to forget, to see is to remember, to experience is to know," it whispered in an unfamiliar voice. A formless mass sat alongside the black thing, but it was silver.  
  
"Let her go, cretin," it hissed. "Let her go, or there will be consequences." The hiss was familiar, but different at the same time. The black thing didn't let go of her leg. "Now, dammit!" hissed the silvery blob, lunging at the black thing. Kay was knocked out of the black one's grasp, and the two began trying to absorb each other. Finally, the two were destroyed, eliminated almost entirely, and she felt extreme joy - but at the same time, a sense of loss unequaled in her life.  
  
Then the world began to fade... The black cloud was fading, and so were the two masses... The world was growing bright...  
  
***  
  
"Kay, the sun's up! Get out of bed!" That unpleasant little voice was her brother, calling for her to get up.  
  
"Don't you have something to do with Mia?" she grumbled. The room filled with silence, then she heard the sound of boots dashing out her door. Grumbling, she got up. Stomping to the kitchen, she grabbed a slice of toast and a few pieces of bacon. At least her brother hadn't eaten it all. Muttering angrily while enjoying her breakfast, she walked into her room, changed, and walked outside. Outside, she stopped muttering at the strangest sight.  
  
Piers had Rhoen by the throat, slammed against a building. He held a strange sword in his hand. Kay recognized it as the Tisiphone Edge, one of the weapons Garet had brought back from his journey. "Elln nin mer, Lemurate!" cried Rhoen.  
  
***  
  
Rhoen had just gathered up the little wooden blocks that he'd carved from the trunk when he saw the Lemurian man's face. It startled him, how he could be snuck up on so easily. He didn't have time to react, though-the Lemurian grabbed him by the throat and jammed him against a building. "I didn't see you at the inn today, Q'tiil. In fact, the Innkeeper said you didn't have a room."  
  
"Put me down, Lemurian!" He shouted the words, even though that might cause him to lose air at a faster rate. The Lemurian put a sword to Rhoen's neck.  
  
"I don't thinks so, Q'tiil." He spat the words, speaking in Rhoen's native tongue. That shocked him.  
  
"I am called Rhoen, Lemurian. Not 'Q'tiil.' Never call me Q'tiil." He frowned. "I will not be known as one of them." He coughed in the Lemurian's face. "Now put me down, Lemurian. Or do you wish the death of an innocent man on your hands?"  
  
"No Q'tiil is innocent, Rhoen. And if I am to call you by your name, then you must call me by mine-Piers." He looked into Rhoen's eyes. "What do you say, Q'tiil bastard?"  
  
"Fine, Piers of Lemuria. But let me down! I have done nothing!"  
  
"You have taken residence in a house of Vale! Did you not understand my orders?" Rhoen laughed. Clearly, this "Piers" saw only what he wanted to see, not the truth.  
  
"Piers, you did not order me to stay at the inn. You ordered me not to speak with the mayor about the dangers that I saw. Well, I didn't see the mayor, but I met his granddaughter." He looked around, then spotted Kay. "And I don't think she'll be too happy when she sees you strangling her newest friend."  
  
"You will not have contact with any more Valeans, do you hear me? None! You will remain at the inn under close supervision, speak with nobody, and you will leave when you have been humiliated enough. These people have no need for your kind." Rhoen spat on the man's boots, then kicked him in the stomach. Piers dropped him and the sword. Before the man could recover his breath, Rhoen picked him up in his left hand and spun him around. Grabbing the flail from inside of his cloak with the right hand, he pulled it out and held it close to Piers's stomach.  
  
"If you order me to stay away from Kay, I will order you to keep away from my Kinswoman." His snarl became a grin. "Do you wish to be separated from the one you love?"  
  
Piers spat. "Sheba is no more Q'tiil than I am." Rhoen laughed.  
  
"Then you are good at hiding your origins. If you have seen a Q'tiil woman, you would know another on sight. Your precious 'Sheba' is lucky. She probably comes from a long line of warriors." He grinned. "And although my father would beat me for saying it, he respects Lemurian warriors for their skill. Tell me, do you think she wants to continue the line?" Rhoen had had experience with Q'tiil women, and that was his general perception of them.  
  
Piers growled dangerously. Finally, he roared, "Sheba is not like that! She is kind and generous! To tell that to her would throw her into the deadliest of rages, and even I could not survive suggesting to her that she comes from such a barbaric race as yours!" Rhoen slammed him against the wall.  
  
"Stay out of my life, Lemurian pig, and I will stay out of yours." He dropped the man. "And you cannot tell me what to do, Piers of Lemuria." But the Lemurian's words touched his mind as he ran off. {Perhaps she is a rhoen, like me. Then she would be different. But I have only ever seen two rhoen, and one was killed when she was naught but a babe. And the other... At least my brother died honorably.} He stopped running when he reached the Psynergy stone at the center of town.  
  
***  
  
Piers's companions looked at the scene. When they had arrived to see what Kay was so worried about, they saw their friend being held up by the Q'tiil man. They were arguing in some strange language. The man shoved Piers into the wall, then dropped him to the ground. Finally, the Q'tiil ran off after saying, "Inde dal ed'dar asa nin draal q'tang, Pierce an'Lemurate." The adepts crowded around Piers. Finally, Sheba walked over to him and talked to him.  
  
"Piers, what just happened?" There was concern in her voice. Felix looked at the pair disapprovingly. After all, he didn't want his adopted sister falling in love with someone at nineteen. Thirty would be a better age. "Piers, please tell me!" Felix turned. He had to look out for that Q'tiil fellow. Piers looked up, a glow in his eyes that shined like youth.  
  
"Look, an angel. A beautiful angel. Look, people, there's a beautiful angel sitting next to me!" He laughed a child's laugh. "An angel. Angel, will you kiss me?" The words shocked Sheba, and also made her blush. She'd seen his romantic side, but it had never come out this strong. Making sure that Felix's back was turned, she embraced the Lemurian and kissed him on the lips, a long, loving kiss. {After all, that's probably what he wants.} He looked at her, his eyes shining. And then, she realized something. {I love him, too.} She separated their lips only to say "I love you", then went back to kissing him. A few moments later, a tap on her shoulder made her turn around. There was Felix, looking mad as hell.  
  
"What in Iris's name is going on?! What the hell are you doing?!" Piers looked up at him, flush with embarrassment. Sheba opened her mouth to say something, but she was drowned out by Felix's words. "Honestly, I know you like her, Piers, but that's no reason to try and force her to kiss you!" She tried to explain, but her brother of five years kept plowing on. "And don't tell me that she loves you, because she's nineteen and doesn't understand love yet!" Sheba finally got angry enough to yell.  
  
"Listen!" Felix shut up immediately. "I was the one who started it. You see him kissing me, and you think that it's because he loves me, and you think that I'm just some doll you can hang on the wall! Well, what about Jenna and Isaac? Were you the same way with them?" He opened his mouth, but she kept on going. "I can answer that for you: No! You actually approved, because they were being sensible and waiting and getting married under your eyes! Well, I've been traveling with Piers for five years! Do you know why I didn't want to tell you everything? It's because I knew you'd act like this if you found out!" She paused only to gather breath. "Well, is five years away from your ever-present eye enough? Because if it isn't then we're going to elope, aren't we, Piers?" Piers just nodded. He probably didn't want to say anything else, mainly because he was trying to get his breath back.  
  
Finally, Felix grunted, clearly annoyed. His anger seethed as he made his way back to the house that he and Hama shared. The others cleared out too, sensing that the two lovers would probably want time alone. Piers looked at Sheba. "Thank you. Sheba, I love you too. But there's something I need to tell you..." He looked her in the eye. She said nothing, just looked at him. "You know that Q'tiil fellow? Well, he says you're... He says you're Q'tiil too." He looked at her, examining her features. He saw some irregularities, but he had always assumed that those were from Lalivero. Now, he looked and saw something different. The low cheekbones, the elongated nose, her purple eyes glowing with just a hint of gray in the pupils: all of these were traits that he'd seen on Rhoen's face. He recoiled. "You... you are..." He was frightened. She read his mind. {I have done the one thing I have sworn never to do... I have allowed a Q'tiil to run about Vale unchecked... And I have fallen in love with her... Oh, Neptune! What to do, what to do?!} She kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"There, there. It'll be all right. I'll make it better." She reached for his hands. "Don't worry, I'll help you. We'll take care of it. It'll all go away." She tried soothing him, making her voice smooth and calm. Inside, she was quaking. {Me... Q'tiil? The one thing my love despises? Why? Why can't I just be normal? Why does it have to be me?} He didn't pull away, but there was something different about his gaze. He wanted to believe it, he wanted to think it wasn't true, but he couldn't. Bowing her head, she excused herself. Behind her, she could hear Piers wailing. If she knew him, and she knew him well, there would be a rage tomorrow, and then a calm the next day. An unnerving calm.  
  
The next day proved her right.  
  
***  
  
Rhoen was having difficulty believing the Lemurian's reaction. Apparently, any mention of anything related to something outside of Vale or Valean life was driving him insane, causing him to lash out at anyone and anything. He shrugged, then went back to carving the figurines. Already, three were finished. One was of himself, holding his flail in an attack position. Another was of himself again, this one weeping. The third was a happier Rhoen, one looking up into the face of a beautiful woman. The woman was Kay, but she had wings growing out of her back. At sunset, he finished his carving for the day. He placed a fourth carving among the finished ones - one of Kay after seeing the two lovers, looking dejected and miserable. Slowly, he gathered the carvings in his bag, placed his knife and the remaining blocks of wood in there with the carvings, and walked toward Kay's house. But standing there, in front of the door, was none other than the Lemurian, Piers. "Piers, please stand aside. I must enter. This is my residence, provided graciously by Kay."  
  
Piers leered at him. "You shall not pass." He grinned. "Dark powers will not be enough, master of the art of deception. I am a master of the Thirteenth Form, and you shall not pass."  
  
"Look, sirrah, let me in or I will cut off your arms." Piers raised his sword with not a little wobble. It looked like he was drunk.  
  
"You challenge me? Then fight, knave!" He charged. Rhoen amended his previous thought. The guy wasn't just drunk - he was sloshed. Rhoen stared at the drunken Piers disgustedly. "Fight, I say!" Rhoen made to grab for the door, but the sword swung down to meet his arm. "What's the matter, little one? Angry that I'm not letting you in?" Rhoen had to amend his thoughts again. This man wasn't drunk at all - he was insane. Very dangerous, too. "Well, it's all thanks to you. You ruin my life by telling me Sheba's one of your kind, then I find out you weren't lying." He flailed with the sword, missing Rhoen with every swing and knocking the hilt into the door at least five times. "Well, you bastard, I'm going to make you pay for that little moment of truth. If I kill you, everything will be right again. Sheba won't be Q'tiil, you won't be bothering Kay, and I can go on helping Sheba to find her past. It's for her sake, you son of a bitch!" Just then, Kay opened the door.  
  
"Piers, if you're threatening him... I swear, you're insane! Let him in, or I'll show you real pain! Now, mister!" Quickly, Piers stepped away from the door. Clearly, he was sane enough to know that messing with Kay while she was angry would never be a good idea. Rhoen took the opportunity to dash in - and knock Kay over. Quickly apologizing, he ran into his room. He opened the bag and looked inside. Thankfully, none of the figures had been broken. The door creaked open. Kay was standing there, looking angrier than he'd ever seen her before. He got up to talk to her, but she motioned for him to sit. Her face softened, and she hugged him tightly. "There, there. I won't let him kill you. Even if you do come from somewhere bad, I won't hold that against you. You're not a bad guy. Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was the kind of kiss given by a mother to comfort a little child. He wept, and she held him in her arms. They spent half the night like this, until Kay was sure that Rhoen was fine. The next morning, he began carving a memory of the last night - the night he had learned of the care that she felt.  
  
***  
  
The sleeper stirred. He was close to waking, now. Images formed in his mind. One stood out among them all - a young woman with blue hair. "Mia," he whispered in his sleep. "Mia, you are my own, my only. You belong to me." In his sleep, Alex grinned.  
  
***  
  
8BTFreek: Well, hate to break it off there, but that's just enough to give you a hint of what's going on behind the petty squabbles of everyday life. There is something sinister on the horizon: A foreshadowed conclusion that cannot be seen by the naked eye. It is here, encompassing all, overshadowing the disaster to come. The plot twist moves. It cannot rest.  
  
Rand: Enough.  
  
8BTFreek: Right. Anyway, please review! Plot twists coming!  
  
Rand: Plot twists? Did you develop a thing for those or something while I was gone?  
  
8BTFreek: Of course! The plot twist is the most brilliant thing since...  
  
Rand: Since WoT, I know, I know.  
  
8BTFreek: No, since the computer. Anyway, please review!  
  
Nynaeve: Yes, review, or I'll have Rand go and give you pain.  
  
Rand: What? You can't order me around; I'm the Dragon Reborn!  
  
Nynaeve: *glows with saidar* Say that again?  
  
Rand: Fine. *glows with saidin* You can't order me around! *shields Nynaeve*  
  
Nynaeve: RAND! RELEASE ME, YOU ASSHOLE! *gasps, runs to wash out mouth*  
  
Rand: Temper, temper. Anyway, review, or the FF, myself included, will arrive at your door. 


	5. The Seeds of Hatred

8BTFreek: *laughs* Well, it seems that Forms is still a hit! I'm impressed. Thanks to everyone that liked it! The last chapter just burst out of me.  
  
REVIEWER RESPONSES:  
  
tigerlily98: I'm updating! I'm updating! Sheesh!  
  
Joker's Specter: Well, there are many undercurrents that are hidden from the naked eye: the hatred of the Q'tiil that is drummed into every Lemurian child's head, the hatred of the Lemurians that is drummed into every Q'tiil child's head, the dangers of combining alcohol and idiocy... You get my drift.  
  
Mesoforte: I really hope so. I really hope they review, too!  
  
ACL: Hey, "interesting" means that you're interested. And yes, I've gotten comments that it was confusing. That's what I meant. And if that's not good enough for you, how's this? A wizard did it.  
  
Allexandra: Well, as long as you're ok with it in my fic... I mean, I couldn't leave Isaac's parents without grandchildren, could I? That just wouldn't be ethical, in my viewpoint. And Link is right, Piers is insane. And a bit drunk.  
  
Rallalon: Yes, the plot is extremely thick right now. I've been dubbed "the King of Plot Twists," so... expect stuff like that from me. And no, I'm not nice to a certain OC. As for Alex... wait and see.  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
8BTFreek: Someday, I'm going to have to Review Response in C++, just to see what would happen.  
  
Nynaeve: Your reviewers would go nuts, that's what'd happen.  
  
8BTFreek: Oh, hush.  
  
Rand: Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the characters and places thereof, or the ideas therein. However, he does own the Q'tiil, the concepts behind them, and the concept of Kayshipping, however strange that may be.  
  
8BTFreek: You don't have to remind me about not owning Golden Sun.  
  
**Chapter 5: The Seeds of Hatred**  
  
That same morning, Piers woke to the grandmother of all hangovers. His head pulsed as he sat up in bed. As he opened his bloodshot eyes, he tried to remember what had happened over the past week. Certain events stood out. The first, not surprisingly, was the arrival of Rhoen. Second was his "fight" with the Q'tiil, the only fight that had ended in his total humiliation. Being kissed by Sheba came third, followed by a fond memory of draining the inn of about half its alcohol. After that was a blur, punctuated by a memory of challenging Rhoen to a duel.  
  
He had been surprised by Kay's appearance and subsequent threat. {Didn't Garet tell her about the Q'tiil? Come to think of it, does he even live there anymore?} Being unable to answer his own questions made him boil with rage, but he managed to force it down behind a mask of calm. After getting dressed, he put on a pair of gloves and grabbed his belt knife. He had... things... to do.  
  
***  
  
Kay jumped at the knock on the door. She had been sitting with Rhoen, watching him carve. She had also been looking at the carvings that he'd completed. She thought that he had made her too beautiful. Gathering herself together, she walked out of the room and opened the front door. There stood Piers, a look of utter calm crossing his face. "What do you want?" she asked, remembering what he'd done in his drunken state the previous day.  
  
"I wish to speak with Rhoen," he said in a too-calm voice.  
  
"Give me your weapons," she demanded. He undid his belt knife, took off his gloves, and took off his cape. Handing it to Kay, he asked where Rhoen's room was. "First room on the left." Without any sign of recognition, he strode off to the door on the left, pulled it open, and slid in.  
  
***  
  
Rhoen's sensitive ears picked up the opening of the door. Sharply looking up from his carving, he tried to find out the identity of the one who'd opened it. This would have worked had the door not opened to the inside. Suddenly, Piers glided into the room, a completely calm look on his face. Rhoen put down the carving amid the complete ones, gripping his knife. "What do you want, son of Lemuria?"  
  
"I only wish to talk." He sat down in the chair Kay had occupied only moments before.  
  
Rhoen turned to face the man. "About what?" His voice contained an amount of suspicion that he never would have used under normal circumstances.  
  
"I'm not going to kill you, if that's what you're worrying about. Your caretaker took my weapons." Rhoen's face twisted at his naming Kay a caretaker. She was merely a good friend. Piers shook his head. "No, I only wish to talk."  
  
Rhoen nodded. Currently, the only words of his father's that he'd ever paid attention to flowed through his head. {Know your enemy and his defeat becomes easier.} Seren's voice also echoed. {I am sure that rhoen exist among other nations. Trust the outsiders, brother.} "You begin to see things Kay's way, then?" Piers laughed, a cold, venomous laugh.  
  
"No more than you see things mine." He sat back, lounging like a leopard on a rock. Rhoen still wasn't convinced that he'd given up all his weapons. "No, you're still an enemy. I'd just like to understand your philosophy."  
  
"Ah, still seeing me as the country I was born, eh?" He shook his head. "But I still see you as a Lemurian, I guess. The seeds of hatred are planted deep in youth, no? My guess is you were taught from the cradle to hate Q'tiil."  
  
Piers looked defensive. "What makes you think that?"  
  
"That's how early they teach Q'tiil to hate Lemurians, Piers." He stood up and opened the door. "Think on what I've said, Piers of the Lemurian Islands."  
  
"Island," muttered Piers as he stood up and exited. "You bastards sunk Maren Heights." Kay walked in soon afterwards.  
  
"What was that about?" she asked, sitting down.  
  
"The seeds of hatred are buried young, Lady Kay." He picked up the unfinished carving and set to carving again. "Very young."  
  
***  
  
The room pulsed. Flashes of light linked the sleeper to three statures. Suddenly his eyes snapped open.  
  
Reaching toward the fourth statue in the room, Alex grumbled. "Mia will bear me an heir and an heiress." Quickly, he forced the stone floor to create a large board. It seemed a chessboard, but with many times more squares.  
  
"Bring in the key figures," he whispered. Three elements combined to form small figurines. He noticed them, but only paid attention to the ones of himself and the Wise One. "Now his army," he murmured. Figures of Felix and his seven companions took up eight of the squares. "And their families." A multitude of figurines filled the board. Each was near the people they were related to. He only took notice of two. One was Hama, Ivan's sister, who was positioned near to both Ivan and Felix. The other one was Garet's sister Kay, who was placed nowhere near her brother. In fact, she was close to the key players. It was then Alex noted a third among the key figures. Picking up the statuette, he looked carefully at it. It was fairly recognizable.   
  
"Not Seren. I killed that good-for-nothing rhoen years ago. But then who...?" He looked closer. Suddenly, he gasped - and smiled. "Zhin... so the boy wants his revenge." A twisted smile further distorted his handsome features. "Perfect."  
  
He picked up the figure of Mia. "You will be mine, even if you love another. Love cannot interfere with imperial bloodlines. The imperial bloodlines must be kept pure." He picked up Garet's statuette and crushed it. "And I will be emperor, no matter who stands in my way."  
  
***  
  
Rhoen felt a surge of power, but he said nothing about it. Instead, he asked the one question that had been on his mind since Kay had first mentioned her brother. "Doesn't Garet live here?" he asked.  
  
Kay rolled her eyes. "He's supposed to, but he keeps finding excuses to stay at Mia's residence. You know - the place she stay at whenever she comes to visit." The past two days, she had told him about her family. He had noticed that every time she mentioned Garet and Mia, venom entered her voice.  
  
"Another question. Did Garet ever tell you about his journeys and the people he met?"  
  
"He may have mentioned something..." she muttered. She then looked him in the eyes. Confusion crossed across her face. Rhoen didn't notice.  
  
"Did he mention someone named... Alex?" His voice tightened at the name. He focused his gaze on her. She pondered the question for a moment, then nodded.  
  
"Yes..." She closed her eyes and tried to think of what Garet had told her. He said... he said Alex tried to take the power of the Golden Sun, and had a lot of power." She gave him a flat gaze. "He described the man as power-hungry." She looked at him questioningly. "Why do you ask?"  
  
A shiver passed through Rhoen's spine. "Always, the power-hungry want more." He looked at her. "If this is who I think it is, then the man that tried to take the Golden Sun is also the one who murdered Seren. Alex, the slayer of Imil and the one outlander my father truly liked." Kay just sat there, white as a sheet, eyes wide as saucers.  
  
"But... He won't come after you, will he?" He set down the carving and knife. Slowly, he walked over to her and held her, trying to comfort her fears. "I mean, he's dead, right?"  
  
Rhoen shook his head. "I have a feeling that he's not dead. Merely... sleeping." Suddenly, he felt something confirm and add to his thoughts. "In Mt. Aleph, Alex slumbers. But he wants me dead because I am a rhoen, and my kind are a threat to his imperial dreams." He held her tight. "But hear this. I swear on my honor, I will not allow him to harm you, so long as I live." He lightly kissed her cheek. Horror still held her face, but she didn't seem as scared as she had been. {Now I must play the comforter,} he thought. He watched over her that night, tucking her in and watching her to make sure she slept well.  
  
The next morning, he went to his room to get a well-needed repose. The sight he saw upon entering caused his eyes to widen and his hand to dart for his flail.  
  
***  
  
8BTFreek: Well, Alex is more powerful, Rhoen is a good guy, Piers had the hangover of the century, and Rhoen's real name was revealed. Of course, only two people outside of Q'tlataresh know it, but...  
  
Rand: Well, that's that.  
  
8BTFreek: Yes, and it's a bit shorter than other chapters. That's what you get for hand-writing it first.  
  
Rand: Oh well. Let's see, what's left...?  
  
8BTFreek: A-hem? *points to script... which nobody else has* Oh, wait! That's my script for trying out for the school play. *grabs notepad, points to writing on that* A-hem?  
  
Rand: *goes over to Freek, looks at notepad* Oh, right. Please review. 


	6. Mind Games

8BTFreek: I've got too much music in my head.  
  
Rand: Uh-oh... this is a bad sign. Freek, what should we do?  
  
8BTFreek: I'll answer the reviews, then you get Nynaeve.  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
Mesoforte: Uh, for part 1. There's going to be a part 2 because the idea I had expanded. The trouble is, it wasn't supposed to. It was just supposed to end. But I'm looking on the bright side. This way, I'll be able to get the others into their own little "situations."  
  
Allexandra: Hey, that's mine! *grumbles* Unfair... Every time I get a good idea, it's either clichŽ or taken. *grumbles more*  
  
tigerlily: Well, it's just me being philosophical. It's one of my observations. When I get a website, I'll put them up on there. Until then, you're just going to get glimpses of them now and then as the fancy strikes me. Thanks for liking the chapter!  
  
Joker: Thank you. Thank you. I enjoyed writing it. It's probably one of the deepest parts of this dark GS3.  
  
ACL: And what would these be? Thanks for the review. And, if I may offer some advice... Get some sleep!  
  
Rallalon: Yes, a cliffhanger. From me, those are rarer than diamond, but not as valuable. More like finding coal in a gold mine. As for your guess... Damn. You are good. Or is it that you can read my mind through the computer? And yes, Alex is off the deep end. He's not playing with a full deck.  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
Nynaeve: Do you like cliches?  
  
8BTFreek: Hey, if it gets the job done...  
  
Gannon: Okay... Anyway, Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, The Lost Age, the characters thereof, the plot thereof, the premise thereof, the-  
  
Rand: Gannon, disclaimers are supposed to be short. Like this: 8BTFreek doesn't own Golden Sun, although he wishes he did.  
  
Gannon: Oh.  
  
**Chapter 6: Mind Games, OR: Death Isn't Always Permanent**  
  
Rhoen's hand tightened on the handle of his weapon. "You," he muttered.  
  
The man bowed. He nodded. "Yes, me." He had a flowing, charismatic voice. You could tell just by listening that he was one of those people who had an over inflated ego. "Jez del graal q'der nin, dasta'rhoen?" (1)  
  
"Bastard. You're a son of a bitch, did you know that?"  
  
"De." He laughed. "So, you remember me, Zhin?" The abhorred name slipped through the man's lips as easily as drool from a dog's tongue, but less welcome. At least the dog enjoyed your companionship.  
  
"Remember you? How could I forget the murdering traitor who slaughtered my brother in his sleep as one would kill a chicken?" He only laughed, a high, emotionless laugh. "Alex, the Slayer of Imil, thought of as a corpse." He bowed. "Stand straight, you sniveling weasel. That way you won't be able to play a trick on me." Alex straightened.  
  
"I see you retain your love of me, Zhin. Or was that your father who found my company so enjoyable." His fists clenched. "I seem to recall Essaara enjoyed my company especially." Alex smiled, but Rhoen grew angry. "What? Did you actually harbor some affection for her? No, I see by your reaction that you would rather she jumped off a cliff than live in the first place." Rhoen's face was twisted in rage, and his knuckles were white from gripping the weapon.  
  
"Get - the hell - out - of -my - room." His face twisted with rage. "Agni nin'ta dal, del zhast'ni'dorgaz!" (2)  
  
"Tut, tut. You should wash your mouth, Zhin. Here, let me - ooh, who's this beauty?" Rhoen turned to the door. Standing white-faced in the doorway was Kay. She looked close to collapse. "Can it be? Has Zhin, the little rhoen-let from the high-and-mighty, gotten a concubine? For shame, for shame." His voice was full of contempt. Worse, Kay could hear his every word.  
  
"Agni nin'ta Chae'rynn drazhd dal, del verbagya'd doralk!" (3) He shook with rage. Unable to control himself, he threw his whole skill against Alex... who stopped him with a wall of air. Alex pulled a dagger from his belt.  
  
"Tonight, I kill you. Then there's one fewer rhoen to keep me from a throne." A faint hum echoed through the room. Alex stood up, stiff as a board. "Ah, drazhd verbagya!" The man's form twisted, lengthened, widened, and, just as suddenly as it had appeared, disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
Kay blinked. "Rhoen, what-"  
  
"Something horrible has happened. Tell your brother. Tell him... Alex is here." Rhoen collapsed on the bed. He was exhausted.  
  
The clock read "9:00."  
  
***  
  
In the Inn, Sheba, Ivan, and Hama had gathered the others. Feizhi had insisted on hearing the details before coming, but when she heard, she rushed to get them from their beds at the ungodly hour of 3:00 AM. "Well, I'm sorr-ry," said Fezhi, a note of exasperation in her voice. "But, Isaac, did you really have to sleep so soundly? Honestly, the way you were, I almost gave up on you for dead." {It's really a good thing Jenna was there to kiss him. That got him up. But waking her was hell, too. Well, best wait for my husband to make his announcement.}  
  
Sheba waltzed to the podium they had temporarily set up. She had always been a morning person, as long as the others could remember - Piers had caught her up at 3:00 once, rearranging pillows on the couch. She claimed "aesthetics" as her reason, but it was really just the fact that she could wake up at any time of the day and feel comfortable. "Well, at least you're all here. Now could you please give your attention to me?" She was wearing her normal sleeping clothes - that is to say, a close-fitting shirt and long breeches. Felix was making sure Piers didn't stare too closely at her. "Well, let's see. I assume you're all sore about being woken up for this. Let me clarify why. All four of us Jupiter Adepts have been having dreams. Not pleasant dreams, either. Dreams that are suspiciously like visions."  
  
Feizhi nearly leapt from her seat. Ivan's hand, however, kept her down. Sheba continued. "There are some points that are very clear, but most are murky and merit discussion. We'll take the dreams in a very specific order. Feizhi, yours should come first. Please explain them." She nodded, then walked a very dignified step to the podium.  
  
"Hello. It's me, the Xian jade that captured Ivan's heart. I have had a very bad set of dreams. Bad, mainly because they confuse me." She paused, took a deep breath, and continued. "The first occurred about a month ago. It frightened me. All of us, and our children, walked along a wheel. The wheel had ten spokes on it, and on the space between each was written a word. On the space where we walked, the word 'tension' was written. I still have no clue what it means, but I know that it was a bad thing for that word to be where we walked.  
  
"The next was a week later. I saw Ivan, Isaac, Garet, Felix, and Piers walking up the stairs of a large building. Upon each stair was a foe, but they took down every single one in their path. But then came a stair where they could not fight. They were frozen, and I could hear screams from their souls. When I looked, I saw myself dreaming on the step above, something holding a knife over my sleeping body. It seemed to say, 'If you kill me, she dies.' I then changed into Jenna, who changed into Mia, who became Hama, who turned into Sheba. A sixth man appeared, and the form recoiled, but then the sleeping woman became Kay." She paused, then cleared her throat. "All five of you attacked the sixth man, and the thing's arm struck toward Piers. He wasn't paying attention, though. He unsheathed his sword and swung at the man. I woke at mid-swing." She pulled herself together. That second dream had driven her to hysterics the night she dreamt it, and it was more unnerving now that she had had time to contemplate possible meanings. She nodded, then walked to the seats along the back wall. Hama got up next.  
  
"Felix, I am sorry I woke you that night. I didn't mean to. But I had a dream." She paused. "It was exactly twenty days ago this day when the dream came. I saw a tarnished crown, the gold circlet on the bottom being buffed by a young blue-haired man. He was walking down the street, and the paving stones crumbled under his steps. When I looked at the stones ahead, I saw that each one bore a human face." She paused.  
  
{Is that her dream?} Feizhi wondered. Hama took a deep breath, then continued.  
  
"At that moment, the dream shifted. It changed into a dream of a snake. The snake awoke, and then it began to slide. I could hear its hissing, and it seemed to be saying, 'Power is to the right, Protection is to the left. Down the center is Justice.' It repeated this one phrase over and over. Finally, it came back to where it had begun - it was going in circles - and its speech changed. Now, it said, 'Broken are the bonds of the siblings. Broken are the ties of the dead. Cut loose is the world's order-string.' It would not stop repeating this." She walked back to her seat, a little more stiffly than she had before. Ivan stood and took the stand.  
  
"There are only two dreams left. Mine, which you will hear now, and Sheba's." He paused. "Nine days ago, I lay down to sleep and saw what I normally see in dreams: the usual nonsense, things that don't really matter. Then it broke off. Suddenly, the dreams began to have fire around the edges. A voice began playing in the background of all of them, saying, 'All I need is...' then something would light on fire. 'All I need is...' a bit stronger. It kept on doing this, and fire would jump into my dreams. Suddenly, the flames formed Alex's face.  
  
"It grinned at me. 'Are you happy to see me, Ivan?' it asked. 'Death is but a doorway. Sleep is but a pause. Expect the Sleeper to awaken. You know of whom I speak, little mind-reader.' The face faded, and a voice came into my dreams. 'Doom,' it whispered. 'Doom, if you do not see the signs of man's fading wisdom.'  
  
"The voice stopped, and all turned black. Then I heard little children singing. 'Eight are there, and two will rise. Stomp the darkness in the eyes. One will give the greatest gift. But blood shall never flow so hard.' They sang this again, then, 'One will love One, One will loose One, One will loose to One, and three Ones are more at the end.'" He sat down.  
  
"Bloody moron if you didn't get the meaning of the first part," muttered Sheba as she walked to the makeshift podium. "Anyway," she continued in her normal voice, "here's my dream. Same night as Ivan's." She cleared her throat. "Someone was saying things in a language I didn't understand. Someone else stood behind him, translating. The man said, 'Darkness I see creeping over your fair land. Pain is close if nothing is what you do. Death will come if you do not cope. Learn of his weakness; learn of his strength. Make use of both. But do not go alone. Under the First Mountain he sleeps. Be there at the stroke of dawn by the Mars Day, or nothing will stop him. Destroy the usurper of my throne.' It was later I realized that there was a week left to the five-year anniversary of the lighting of Mars Lighthouse. If I recall, we celebrated that when we came back." She nodded. "My dreams have been clouded since."  
  
The other Jupiter Adepts nodded. "I can't even see tomorrow," muttered Hama.  
  
"Tomorrow? I have trouble seeing this afternoon," muttered Feizhi.  
  
"That's nothing. I've shown you. My talent has been drained to a mere hour." Ivan didn't strut this time, though. He trudged off, grumbling. "Bloody waste of bloody power if you can't see one bloody hour into the damned future."  
  
The sun was rising. It was about 9:30 when the Adepts finally exited the room. On the street, Garet bumped into a running Kay. She was nearly out of breath, and she fell upon contact with him. Hastily, she dusted off her dress. "Garet," she said, gulping for air, "there's something I need to tell you."  
  
"What is it?" he asked. "Some favor you have to do for your barbaric lover?" She knocked him upside the head a little weakly. She didn't have much strength.  
  
"I saw a blue-haired man in the spare bedroom. You know - Rhoen's room." His head shot up, and he stared at her with wide eyes. "Rhoen was busy yelling at him in some weird language. Finally, the man pulled a knife. Just as he was about to stab our guest, something happened. He yelled something like a curse, glowed, and just... disappeared." She paused. "He seemed eager to stick the knife in Rhoen's ribs."  
  
"Blood and bloody ashes. Have you had any strange dreams lately?"  
  
"Only one last night. Why?"  
  
"Oh, bloody hell. Kay, I'm going to need you to tell everyone about this dream of yours, understand?" He walked away from her, muttering, "Bloody, maggot-ridden, corpse-loving beetle-munchers." He walked up to Feizhi and Ivan. "Ivan, something's wrong. Alex is back."  
  
"We figured that out in there, remember?" Ivan stared at him as if he were sick.  
  
"Not just asleep. He's back. As in, he's roaming around again? And I think he has a grudge with Piers's buddy." The last few words were spoken with sarcasm. Garet knew Piers's attitude toward Rhoen; it was the same attitude Felix held towards the Mayor of Alhafra.  
  
Ivan just stared in shock.  
  
***  
  
Nynaeve: Well, he's got music in his head.  
  
8BTFreek: I could have told you that!  
  
Nynaeve: Shut up, I wasn't finished yet. Well, there's nothing you can do. Only I could cure something like that, and I don't feel like it.  
  
8BTFreek: ... Oh well. Here's the translations: (1): Are you happy to see me, little rhoen?; (2): Leave my room, you son of a bitch!; (3): Leave my goddamn room, you hellish minion!  
  
Hey, I know you're out there! Review, please!  
  
Nynaeve: Or I'll come over and...  
  
Rand: Trust me, just her going over is a threat in itself. Review, or Freek will send Nynaeve, which will be bad for you and him. 


	7. Back in Black

8BTFreek: Well, I'm back ahead of schedule!  
  
Eshli: *playing with blaster pistol, plasma rifle, and beam saber* Hey, this blaster's only got 499 charges on it.  
  
8BTFreek: *looks apologetically at audience* Well, once I finish her novel, she's going to have it anyway. She's also going to end up dying, but so does everyone else. And she'll fall in love.  
  
Eshli: Yeah, right. *goes back to playing with beam saber*  
  
8BTFreek: Anyway, let's answer those reviews!  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
tigerlily: Well, I can't really think of much else. The creative juices run thin on anger expression. The vocabulary is shot. Well, thanks for liking it.  
  
Mesoforte: Thank you. tigerlily98 already jumped all over me for that whole "bloody" usage thing.  
  
Rallalon: Well, here are the partial answers for your guessing game: You missed Feizhi's first dream, got very close on Feizhi's second dream, were right on with Hama's dream, did a nice job with Ivan's, though it wasn't quite right and some of it was just wrong, and good interpretation of Sheba's, but not quite accurate. Sheba had the dream in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 took place exactly one week later. So they fulfilled that part, so you know it's all good in the end. As for the WoT quote, I just like that way of expressing anger. And yes, your quote is cooler by God-only-knows how many times.  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
Eshli: Where's redhead?  
  
Rand: Here. And my name's Rand, Eshli, not "redhead."  
  
Eshli: Oh. Well, Dad doesn't own Golden Sun, John Lennon, or AC/DC.  
  
8BTFreek: I'm not Dad. He's my father. I'm Freek.  
  
Eshli: Yes, you are a freak. But you're also Dad. Well, get typing, Dad.  
  
8BTFreek: *grumbles*  
  
**Chapter 7: Back in Black, or The Separation of Jupiter*  
  
Hama walked up to her younger brother. "Ivan?" she asked. "Ivan, what's going on?"  
  
Ivan just stared off. Finally, he spoke - a croaking whisper. "He's back."  
  
At these words, Felix blanched. Hama, however, showed no visible sign of shock. "Who's 'he?'" Ivan didn't respond. She turned to her husband. "Felix, who's 'he?' Is 'he' someone I should know?"  
  
Felix blinked, then said, "The 'he' that Ivan is referring to... is Alex." Hama stared curiously at him. "Alex. You know - Alex." Apparently, though, she didn't know. "The lunatic who stole the Golden Sun and tried to take over the world about five years ago? That Alex?" Her eyes widened with recognition. She frowned pensively.  
  
"Hm, this is bad. We need to gather the others again. They need to know he's out." Garet nodded, walking off to find Mia. Ivan just stood there, rooted to the spot. Hama shoved him off toward Sheba and Piers. "Felix, go find Isaac and Jenna. Feizhi, I'm going to need you to get the man staying with Garet's parents, okay? I have a feeling he'll be needed." They nodded, running off.  
  
"Why do we need to tell the Q'tiil about Alex, Hama?" Piers was standing behind her, and he didn't seem too happy. "Do you realize that he's probably Alex's buddy?" Hama shook her head. "What? No, I know what I'm talking about. We don't need him. He's evil. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: He needs to be killed, or at least run out of town. And I'm going to be the one to do it." Sheba gasped at his last words. Something clicked in Hama's mind.  
  
"Sheba, your dream was true. If we don't do something, Alex..." She broke off. Piers was looking at then strangely. "Piers, I forbid you from attacking Rhoen. If you attack him, there will be consequences so horrible I can't even begin to describe you. Got it?" He shook his head fervently.  
  
"No, I can't do that. Hama, this bugger's Q'tiil. You don't understand. Even if you think of the most vile things you can, it's nothing compared to what his kind do for fun." She glared at him. Then, the most unusual thing happened.  
  
"Piers, stow that garbage and listen up." He closed his mouth, mostly out of shock. Hama had begun shouting. "Now then," she growled, "you say that he's a vile, disgusting brute just because he's from some place you've been at war with three times. Do you think it's possible that he thinks the same of you? If it is, I would be surprised, mainly because I saw him after that fight. I overheard him shouting something about a 'Lemurian racist bastard son of a three-headed goat.' I can only assume he meant you." His eyes widened in shock.  
  
Piers leapt up. "Where is that hunk of blood and bone? I'll rip his nonexistent heart out!" he yelled.  
  
"Halt!" shouted Sheba. The spell barely caught Piers, stopping him in his tracks and wrapping him in Psynergetic light. "Now then," she said in a calmer tone, "just do as Hama says, and I'll release you. Deal?" She did a quick mind read.  
  
{Fine, if it'll get me out, I won't attack the Q'tiil bas-er, Rhoen. Now could you let me go? It's really uncomfortable standing in midair with your legs five feet apart.} Sheba nodded and released the spell. He collapsed in a heap. "Oof. Thanks for releasing me." He turned to the older Jupiter Adept. "I'll do as you ask. Just don't humiliate me like that again." She nodded and directed him into the meeting hall. Sheba looked around. The place had only three seats open, and all three were at a table with Rhoen. Apparently, nobody wanted to sit near him.  
  
{I can understand that. Piers put the fear of the devil into us about him.} She cleared her throat to get his attention. "Are you the one called Rhoen?" she asked. He nodded. "Would you mind if we sat here?" He shook his head.  
  
"There is plenty of room, young Sheba." Her name didn't quite slide off his tongue as easily as it did off of most people's. "Piers, I see you have no qualms right now? Or has Lady Sheba told you to get off my back?" He grunted at the second. "I thank you, then, Lady. I have an eternal gratitude toward you." He looked around the room. "Where's Kay?" he asked, an air of urgency surrounding his question.  
  
"I'm not sure," replied Hama. She seemed offended that he had ignored her. "I think she's waiting outside." Suddenly, two people walked in. One was Kay, and the other... Sheba had seen him before, but her eyes refused to believe. Piers and Rhoen both shot up.  
  
"Alex!" cried Piers, just as Rhoen cried "Slayer!" But Rhoen didn't stop after just the name. "Slayer," he continued, "your blood is mine!" From his cloak, he drew the strange weapon and flung himself at Alex. Suddenly, Alex pulled a knife from his cloak and pulled Kay close. She responded by kicking his shin and running. Piers looked on, not lifting a finger to help the young man. Just as he was about to strike at Alex, though, something happened. A blast of white light exploded from Alex's hands, striking Rhoen in the chest. Ghostly images flitted around his head. Isaac then leapt up, as did Garet and Ivan. The three of then dashed Alex, Garet holding Excalibur like a spear, Isaac with a giant axe that defied imagination, and Ivan with a thin sword that glowed with a hidden power. Piers joined them, wielding the powerful blade he'd tried to use on Rhoen. Felix added his to the fray, carrying the massive Sol Blade in both hands. The others jumped in, Mia wielding a terrible mace, and Jenna carrying the only sword she had ever liked: the Phaeton's Blade. Sheba jumped up, boosting her speed by using her Meditation Rod as a third leg. Kay dragged Rhoen off, and Hama opened doors for her.  
  
Feizhi clung to the ceiling, having been flung up there by the blast of energy. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold on much longer. Alex fired another blast, and the others collapsed. Before he could finish them off, though, a voice echoed through the room. "I will not allow you to kill them!" it shouted. Suddenly, the Wise One's form exploded into view. Alex stared at the rock in horror. The Wise One glowed with Psynergetic light. Before anything could happen, Alex was being twisted and contorted. Finally, he dissolved into midair. "Do not let him kill you," said the Wise One before he warped from the room. Kay walked into the room, her face pale.  
  
"I think we should wait until tomorrow for me to tell my dream," she said.  
  
***  
  
It took the whole night to heal everyone and get them up to speed on what happened. Every one of them except Feizhi, Kay, and Hama had been hurt in the explosions. Isaac immediately recognized the Wise One from Feizhi's description, as did Garet. Everyone was frightened by Alex's appearance, mainly because it meant that the most powerful and corrupt person in the world was still free. Felix got up and paced the spare room in Isaac's house. "Okay, this is horrible. Where's that Rhoen person? I've got some questions for him." A malicious note had entered his voice. Like most of the Adepts, he blamed the Q'tiil for bringing Alex to life after they'd thought him dead.  
  
Hama looked at the doorway. "Kay has him in the spare room at her parents' house. She thinks he's an ok guy, Felix. Do you mistrust her judgment?" He nodded. She sighed. "Well, that makes two of us. I think he's cruel and crude." The other three Jupiter Adepts shook their heads vigorously. "No? Why do you say that?"  
  
Sheba looked her in the eye. "Listen, I saw him, I tried to Mind Read him behind his back. He didn't realize I did, and I saw some things in there that shouldn't be there, if Piers is right." {Self-loathing, revulsion of his homeland, sadness, love... If he's really as bad as Piers says, then why does he have these things in his head?} Feizhi stepped up next to her and nodded.  
  
"Sheba is right," she said. "She knows that there's something going on. She can interpret the dreams, I think. Master Hama, I think that, in this one instance, she's wiser than you by a large amount." She exited the house. Ivan looked apologetically at his sister.  
  
"Sis, I know you're going to hate me for saying this, but Sheba and Feizhi are right. My wife says Sheba isn't lying, and I know she wouldn't lie to me. I'm afraid you're wrong on this one." He walked out of the house.  
  
Piers jumped up to confront Sheba. "But he's Q'tiil!"  
  
She stared at him, a glare that could have frozen air. "So am I, if he told the truth." She walked out of the room, seemingly on cushions of air, holding herself like a queen. She met the others outside. "So am I. I'll have to get used to it." Ivan looked at her with a raised eyebrow, shrugged, and walked off toward Kay's residence.  
  
***  
  
Sheba knocked on the door. Kay was the one to open it. "Hello, Sheba," she said, a note of hesitation in her voice. "What do you want?"  
  
"We three had some words with the others, and we don't think they'll be willing to let us stay with them tonight." Ivan stepped forward.  
  
"Actually, we walked out on them. Can we stay here?" Feizhi moved up to behind him, her eyes pleading.  
  
Kay sighed. "The doorstep is getting crowded. Come on in, you guys." She welcomed them into the home. "Rhoen and I are the only ones here. Mom and Dad are staying with Felix's parents because they don't want to be in the same house as a pariah." She shook her head. "I saw that rock thing in a dream before you woke me up. He says Alex will be forced to sleep for another year, and then we'll have to kill him. The Wise One can't because of something called the 'human affairs laws' that were supposedly drawn up at the beginning of the world to prevent him from meddling in our business. He's only suspended them because he wants the world to be ready for Alex." The others nodded.  
  
"I see," muttered Ivan. "So Alex is going to go away for another year? Well, we should try to prepare."  
  
"Yes," came another voice. The others turned to look at the hallway. Standing there, all in black, was Rhoen. "Back in black, that's me. Nine lives. Cat's eyes." He seemed to laugh for an instant, but it was immediately swallowed in a grave attitude. "So, you're here to dispose of me, is that it?"  
  
"No!" cried Feizhi. "That is not why we are here! We want to help you, and we want you to help us." She looked around sheepishly. "Unfortunately, we're the only ones who think that." She shrugged. "Well, do you accept our help?"  
  
Rhoen raised a hand to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. The Jupiter Adepts noted that he had some black fuzz on it. "Hm... I guess it'd be okay. Kay, could you sort them into rooms? I'll help if you need it." Kay nodded. Rhoen spotted the bronze wedding bands on Ivan and Feizhi's hands. "Ah, married, are you?" They nodded. "Well, we'll give you Kay's parents' room. It's the one on the left. Sheba, you get the room next to Kay's." He pointed to the door to Garet's room.  
  
"But that's Garet's room! What if he comes here?" Rhoen shook his head.  
  
"He won't. I've caused a schism in this family, unfortunately. Kay insists that I should to nothing to repair it, but... I'm still responsible for its existence." He frowned and walked off to the room he occupied. "Sleep well," he called back to them. His black cloak swished ominously.  
  
"He looks like Death," muttered Sheba. "Well, let's all get some rest. We'll figure out what to do in the morning." The others nodded.  
  
***  
  
Alex paced the Elemental Star room. The Mars Statue held no chain on him, but the other statues bound his right arm and both his legs. He stared at the giant chessboard. There were four key figures, and they had changed. Two were still himself and the Wise One, but the other two were Felix and Sheba. "Brother and Sister, played against each other skillfully enough, can cause their own downfall," he muttered. "Let the eternal game begin."  
  
He laughed as the four key figures moved to gain their armies. Felix's was largest, but Alex had more power than them. Zhin had taken his rightful place under the command of someone else, but Alex was displeased that the "someone else" was Sheba. The other six, as well as someone Alex could only assume was Hama, stood on Felix's side. Garet's sister, Ivan, some woman he'd never seen, and Zhin stood on Sheba's. "Now fight, and kill each other. Make my work easier."  
  
***  
  
8BTFreek: Well, glad I'm done with that one.  
  
Eshli: Dad...  
  
8BTFreek: How many times have I told you? It's "Freek," not "dad!" Gaah!  
  
Eshli: Whatever. I was just wondering: Why is Rand so edgy?  
  
8BTFreek: He's engaged to three women.  
  
Eshli: Eew!  
  
Rand: I heard that! Freek, what are you going to do about her?  
  
8BTFreek: The worst thing I can think of: Use her to threaten the people who don't review.  
  
Eshli: Do I get to use the beam saber and the blaster? Or the plasma rifle, maybe?  
  
8BTFreek: Whatever you want. Now then, readers, review, or I send Eshli in her chosen battle gear to wreak havoc on your abode.  
  
Rand: Translation: Review, or Freek will send Eshli to redecorate your home.  
  
8BTFreek: Precisely. So review! 


	8. Sail Away Sweet Sister

8BTFreek: Hooray! Reviews! Let's respond.  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
Joker: Thanks! Yeah, the fight scene was fun to write. Glad you liked it. And it's ok to miss a chapter.  
  
Mesoforte: Thank you for that support. Y'know, this is going to be an interesting chapter to write, mainly because I'm going to make the plot thicker than cement. Dry cement.  
  
tigerlily: "Schism: a division into two mutually antagonistic groups." Basically, Rhoen has caused the members of Garet's family to divide into two groups that hate each other equally, but Kay doesn't want him to fix it. Thanks for liking it.  
  
Rallalon: Yeah, that's about how it goes. The second was (oddly enough) the less accurate. Y'see, I can't reveal much more, save that if I reveal more, all the mystery, suspense, and darkness that I've been building through the last few chapters sorta fades t'nothing, y'understand? Nothin' personal.  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
Eshli: So, what'cha doin', blue-hair?  
  
Alex: Dammit, kid, my name's Alex, not "blue-hair."  
  
Eshli: Whatever, blue-hair.  
  
Alex: *roars* I'll get you for that! *prepares to use a blast of alchemy*  
  
Eshli: *aims plasma rifle*  
  
8BTFreek: Stop that, both of you! Jeez, you'd think I wanted you to fight, the way you two go at each other. Alex, don't pull Psynergy on Eshli. Eshli, don't torture Alex. If either of you disobeys, I'll send Gannon after you.  
  
Eshli: Meep!  
  
Gannon: If I do the disclaimer, will you leave me out of this?  
  
8BTFreek: No. You're doing the disclaimer anyway.  
  
Gannon: *grumbles* 8BTFreek doesn't own Golden Sun or Queen. Good thing, too.  
  
8BTFreek: I heard that! Anyway, chapter 8 of Forms! Enjoy!  
  
**Chapter 8: Sail Away Sweet Sister, or Plans That Were Made**  
  
The living room was relatively packed. Sheba, Ivan, Feizhi, and Kay were all having a conference about what to do next. Kay had just finished telling them about the dream she'd had the day Piers first attacked Rhoen. "And that's the dream Garet wanted you to tell us?" Sheba sat back and pondered the possible meanings. She liked none of them.  
  
"Yeah," sighed Kay. "That's the one he wanted me to tell you. Before he disowned me, that is." She let out another sigh. "Gaah. This is bad, isn't it?"  
  
"Could be worse," offered Ivan. Feizhi hit him with a pillow from the couch. "Well it's true! At least we have a year. If we can just convince Isaac or Felix that Alex is the one we should work on right now..." His tone sank to the floor. "Easier to convince Piers that Rhoen's a nice guy." It was the morning after. "Even I'm not fully convinced. I just don't like the alternative. Besides, I trust you. You're like Feizhi in that way." The last comment was directed at both Kay and his wife, who was preparing to chuck another pillow at him.  
  
"How is she like me, my husband?" Feizhi gave him a look that said if he didn't say what she wanted to hear, he'd be sleeping on the floor. With a knife in his back.  
  
"Well, besides being strong-willed, she's got a sense that tells her if someone's ok or not. Would you have ended up with me without that?" She shook her head.  
  
"No, I would've gone off trying to get Isaac 'cuz he's cuter than you." It was Ivan's turn to get angry. "Just kidding. You're the better of the two. You're more trusting." He was about to ask if that was really better when she kissed him.  
  
"Ahem! If this has been cleared up?" asked Sheba. Ivan and Feizhi nodded, both looking a little embarrassed. "Now then, what are we going to do? I mean, it's obvious that the others want Rhoen out, if not dead. We have to keep him from leaving." All of them pondered this one.  
  
This time, Feizhi had the bright idea. "One of us goes out before him all the time. That way, he's always got someone to protect him." Sheba and Ivan looked at each other before nodding in agreement, but Kay immediately jumped at the idea.  
  
"Perfect!" she said. "Now then, who's going to be the first?" The three Jupiter Adepts bent down and dragged her head down into the whispered conference.  
  
"We can't let the others know. We'll tell Rhoen, but we're going to have to tell him why. Although if I know anything about men, it's that they don't like being tied down." Feizhi smiled at Ivan before she continued. "Although sometimes it's for their own good."  
  
"A-hem!" grunted Ivan. "So who's taking first shift?"  
  
"I will," muttered Sheba. She grabbed the Meditation Rod from the table. "They'll have to get up pretty early to get past me." Kay nodded, smiling approvingly. Sheba noticed. "Kay, you've only known the guy for what? Two days? Do you really think that's long enough to know a person?"  
  
She turned a little red in the face. "Well, uh, it's... it's just that... If anything happens to him, it'll be my fault for letting him stay here." The excuse shouted "pathetic" at every angle, but they let it pass for her dignity's sake.  
  
The morning came. Rhoen woke up and wanted to get some wood. Sheba informed him of their new policy. Oddly enough, he accepted it. "So now I get bodyguards. Huh, the Lemurian really wants me dead, doesn't he?" He grabbed a slice of toast and bit down. He stood behind Sheba as she opened the door. The clock on the mantle read "10:00".  
  
***  
  
"How will we get rid of him?" asked Piers. The other three men frowned. The women had gone off to discuss their own matters - none of them seemed to be as dedicated to removing Rhoen as the men did, even though Hama's own brother had abandoned their cause.  
  
"Well, is he human?" asked Isaac. "What I mean is, is he built like a normal human?" he added, catching Piers's furious glare.  
  
"I guess so," he admitted grudgingly. He got up and paced Isaac's living room floor. "Why?" he shot at his host.  
  
"Well, shouldn't a simple arrow get rid of him?" asked Isaac.  
  
"Yeah, but he's probably got plate-mail armor," said Garet. "We've got to use something smaller, something we can conceal."  
  
Felix jumped up excitedly. "A blow-dart!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Nah, it'd be too hard to get in his heart while he's wearing armor." Garet shrugged. "Although it was a good idea."  
  
"Yeah," sighed Piers. "Well, we could try an ambush." He frowned. "Although it might kill one or two of us." He sat back down. "Well, this is a mess. We can't even think of a way to get rid of him."  
  
Isaac got up. "Although... Felix, I like your blow-dart idea." The others looked at him curiously. "If we aim it at the neck instead of the heart, it'll still kill him, and we won't have to worry about armor. After all, none of the Jupiter Adepts can heal. It'll be perfect!"  
  
"Unless Sheba releases Breath," reminded Piers.  
  
"If she does, we launch another one. She can only unleash him once before she has to set him. By that time, we'll have two or three darts in him, and we can keep firing until he's dead." Piers shook his head.  
  
"No, if she unleashes Breath, she'll find where we are and attack. We fire the dart, wait to see what happens, then get the hell out of there." He stood up. "So, does anyone here have a blow-dart? Or perhaps a pipe to use to fire them?" Felix stood.  
  
"I made a blow-dart in Prox, but I've only got one. I also have the gun that they used to fire them." The others looked at him. "That's what they called the little tube you put in your mouth." He shrugged, then walked off to his house.  
  
By 8:00 AM, three of them had gathered outside of Kay's house. It was called that because Kay was the only one living there that they would actually recognize. Rhoen's face was too new, and besides, his name only produced anger from one of the Mercury Adepts in town. Isaac, Garet, and Piers had cleared out a large space in some bushes in front of Kay's house. Felix ran up to them. "Hey guys, I got it! Here it is!"  
  
Piers looked at him. "We made some changes to the plan," he said. "We decided to have a poisoned dart. That thing poisoned?" Felix shook his head. "Well, go poison it."  
  
Felix paused. "What's the other change?"  
  
Piers sighed. "Aim for the heart. We decided that he probably wouldn't be wearing armor." Felix nodded, then ran off to his house.  
  
At 8:10, Felix returned. "Well, one poisoned dart. Anything else?" Piers shook his head. Felix placed the dart into the small wooden tube and waited. Isaac and Garet walked off toward Isaac's house, where the girls were waiting. Felix stayed behind so that he could take down Rhoen. Piers just wanted to watch.  
  
By 9:30, the door still hadn't opened. Piers was beginning to worry about the success of his plan. Had the Q'tiil actually thought of the possibility of an attack and tried to go out the back? Worriedly, he snuck around the back. From the door, he could hear voices. He crouched in the bushes around the back, hoping not to be seen. From inside, he could hear a slight murmur. The door creaked open. Kay looked out, shook her head, then turned back inside. Breathing a sigh of relief, he went back to Felix. The Venus Adept was still sitting there, the pipe in his mouth, waiting...  
  
At 10:00, the door opened. Felix paused to aim in a general direction, then fired. It wasn't until he'd fired that he realized who was standing at the door. It wasn't Rhoen. It wasn't even Kay, who would have called Sheba over.  
  
It was Sheba. In one of those moments where time slows down, the dart flew toward her body. She turned her head left, right, made to turn back in. Just as her head returned to its normal position, the dart sank into her chest. Not even a scream escaped her mouth. Her head slowly tilted down, her eyes widened. Her mouth opened to scream - and she fell backward, dropping back from the force of the blow. At that point, time returned to normal. Piers's mouth dropped. The blood drained from his face. Something refused to connect in his mind. His mouth moved silently, mouthing the word "Sheba." Finally, his voice found itself and came out of his mouth.  
  
"Sheba," he whispered. He turned to look at Felix, whose face was equally pale. Piers's words came out as a croak. "Please tell me that was an accident." Felix nodded, then his mouth creaked open.  
  
"You told me to poison it, too... I'm sorry, Piers." Tears fell down his face. "Sister, I've failed you," he muttered. "I tried to protect you, but I killed you. Why'd it end this way?" Piers sobbed silently into his hands. They ran over to Sheba just as Rhoen stepped out of the house.  
  
***  
  
8BTFreek: Sorry for the short chapter, but... I didn't know what to do, so I left you with a killer cliffie instead! Mwa-ha-ha!  
  
RM: Although, it isn't really much of a cliffie so much as a character death.  
  
8BTFreek: Shush! I say it's a cliffie because I have so many plot twists that anything could be considered a plot twist. Besides, this is something I was planning on from chapter 7.  
  
RM: So it's a recent development?  
  
8BTFreek: Eshli, please explain to RM my writing style.  
  
Eshli: *picks up blaster, leads RM off* Don't worry, you'll understand shortly.  
  
8BTFreek: *sweating* Uh, ok... Review, and I won't send over Nynaeve to nag you to death for not reviewing!  
  
Nynaeve: Huh? Me, nag? You've got the wrong Aes Sedai.  
  
8BTFreek: Yeah, and I'm the King of England.  
  
Nynaeve: First of all, England's got a Queen...  
  
Gannon: Well, review, all! 


	9. Two Outta Three Ain't Bad

8BTFreek: Another chapter, another load of reviews... Let's answer them.  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
Allexandra: The language? Well, it's sort of German & Slavic-sounding words mixed with words of my own invention. I'll eventually get my own website and create the dictionary and put it up on there. It's relatively simple: The language is basically substitution with words of my own devising. Sheba Yell Count:1. Sorry for pissing you off for "killing" Sheba. You'll see why it's in quotes this chapter.  
  
tigerlily98: Sheba Yell Count:2. Sorry for pissing you off. But I think I already told you not to believe me, sis.  
  
Mesoforte: Sheba Yell Count:3. Sorry for pissing you off, too. Yeah, there's a plot twist coming up this chapter that I've had in my mind since chapter 7. I just ended there to try being a sadistic bastard.  
  
Rallalon: *hangs head in shame* I'm sorry I disappointed you. It wasn't speed; my creative juices were just drained and I didn't know what to do. OK, so part of it was speed. Goddamn writer's block. Sheba Yell Count:3 and a half. And I'm sorry for "killing" Sheba. I promise, though, this chapter will be better. Although from what you said about last chapter, I doubt I can do worse and feel qualified to post it  
  
Joker: Wow, someone who recognizes the end for what it was. Well, I've got this chapter now, hope you like it. And please get the next chapters of "Shades of Conspiracy" and "IGRTH" up. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
Eshli: Yeah, I'd say they're pissed.  
  
8BTFreek: Well, duh! Just remember, dear reviewers: What I do isn't always what it seems.  
  
Eshli: And Dad doesn't own Golden Sun or Elton John, though he does own Rhoen.  
  
8BTFreek: The Sheba Yell Count stands at 3 and a half. That reflects how much of a sadistic bastard I was. If I'd reached five by this chapter, I would've been a little frightened. At least there was only one death threat.  
  
**Two Outta Three Ain't Bad, or Not Dead Yet**  
  
"Ivan! Get help!" Rhoen bent over her.  
  
"Forget it, Q'tiil. She loved me, she left me, she's dead because of me." A small cough issued from Sheba's mouth. Piers stared at her, his eyes wide with shock. "She's not dead?"  
  
Felix looked at her. "If she isn't, it's a miracle. Ivan, get Mia. She'll help." Even though they were on opposite sides, it was one of those times when anyone would do anything to help. Besides, Felix had adopted Sheba as a sister. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she died now, when he'd fired the dart. "Sheba, can you hear me?"  
  
"F-felix?" Her eyes opened a little, then closed. She was breathing raggedly, and she had blood coming from her mouth. "Wh-what...happened?" She sounded tired, and her voice sounded worn. She was having trouble, he could tell.  
  
"I accidentally fired a blow-dart at you." She turned her head a little. "No, don't move! That'll only make it worse." She opened her mouth, but all that happened was a little trickle of blood leaked out. Her body began to crackle and shine. "NO! Don't! We'll heal you." He motioned for someone to aid her.  
  
Piers ran to her side, dropped to his knees, and cast "Cure Poison." The spell was absorbed, but nothing happened. He tried again. Nothing. A third time, a fourth, a fifth. Still there was no reaction. He turned to Felix. "What the hell poison did you put on that thing?" he yelled.  
  
Felix looked away. "I'm not sure. It was one of those bottles Kraden left me - the purple one."  
  
Piers was in the middle of casting Pure Ply a second time when he heard those words. "The purple one...? You mean the purple bottle?" Felix nodded. "Purple..." His eyes widened with shock. "Purified Essence of Jupiter Psynergy..." He leapt up, rage etched onto his face. "You moron!" he screamed. "That wasn't poison - that was the purified essence of Jupiter Psynergy! Do you have any idea what that will do to her?" He turned and quickly cast a Pure Ply on the woman he loved. There was little response. "If she doesn't let out that extra energy, she'll explode!"  
  
Rhoen knelt by the girl's body. "Sheba, royhe. Dal layan m'norg dal. Royhe, dasta'sali." (1) He spoke a few words in his native language in a comforting tone. He turned to look at them. "Piers, have you forgotten your duty?" He looked at him in a puzzled manner. "Your duty to love. You know, healing her?" Piers nodded, then took his place by her side. He removed the dart with a little Mercury Psynergy, took off the shirt that he'd worn for the whole day and night, and wrapped the shirt around her to try and stop the blood from flowing. He reached into his satchel and removed from it a potion. Taking the lid off, he poured it down her throat.  
  
"Sheba, don't die on me, please." She coughed a little, and she looked at him. The potion hadn't had much effect, Piers realized. It was an item overflowing with Psynergy, he guessed.  
  
"Piers, is that you?" He nodded slightly. She began to shine and crackle. "Why did you let him try to kill me?" Piers's throat was stuck; he couldn't think of a response. "Well, why?!" The words were barely a whisper, but they seemed a shout for all the energy she put behind them. The shining and crackling didn't subside; instead, she was now lit up like a Christmas tree. She attempted to raise one of her arms.  
  
"Sheba, try casting something. Anything." His voice was pleading. "Please, Sheba. It might help." The little rivulet of blood that had been flowing from her mouth had grown. Her eyes were clouding over, and she didn't give any sign of hearing him. He touched her hand.  
  
The resulting explosion could be heard in Vault. Pure essence of Jupiter Psynergy concentrated in the body of a young and powerful Jupiter Adept just leads to extremely powerful outbursts, according to Kraden's notes on Elemental Theory. And Sheba had gotten the equivalent of drinking a few sips straight from the bottle. His arms flew behind him, and he was pinned to the training stone that Garet had used to practice Psynergy all those years ago. She coughed a little, blood coming from her mouth in greater quantities. Her eyes were now slowly filming over. It seemed curtains for the young girl.  
  
Mia dashed over the hill just after the blinding flash that had accompanied the loud explosion. She was a little out of breath, but it didn't matter. She flung herself to the ground and grasped Sheba. "Well, at least she's bandaged," muttered Mia. "Pure Ply. Pure Wish." The two spells combined in her little body, but not much happened.  
  
Jenna and Isaac ran over the hill, accompanied by Ivan. Hama was walking behind her brother, a quick pace, but just slow enough not to quickly loose breath. Isaac ran alongside Sheba and quickly cast a Revive, followed by a Potent Cure. Hama took the Tomegathericon from the pocket of Piers's shirt, which was wrapped around Sheba, opened the bloodstained book and read aloud the revival chant. Jenna busied herself by casting Cool Aura on the nearly dead Jupiter Adept. The blood flow in Sheba's mouth stopped, but her eyes also closed. Nobody could tell if the healing effort had killed her or not. Piers ran over to her and cast every healing Psynergy he could think of, even going so far as to take Djinn from other Adepts to get new kinds of healing Psynergy. He even stole the Tomegathericon back from Hama and yelled out the words.  
  
Unfortunately, there was no reaction from the Jupiter Adept. When he saw that Psynergy was having no effect, Piers scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the Sanctum. Inside, he tried as many things as he could, ranging from herbal remedies to physical means. He even tried painting his face and dancing about in a strange manner to cause some nonexistent spirits to heal her. Finally, he gave up. He embraced her, weeping. Some of the tears fell on the shirt he'd wrapped around her, others on her young face. He looked about for a dagger. Finding one in her belt, he raised it up high. He was about to plunge it into his stomach when he noticed a small movement from the table upon which Sheba lay.  
  
"Piers...?" Her voice came as a whisper from her mouth. "Piers, is that you?" He turned to look. She was lying on the table, but her head was turned to face him and her eyes were open. The knife dropped from his hands, and his eyes were wide with shock again. "It is you..." she muttered. She tried to sit up, but he ran over to her and forced her to lie down. "Piers, why aren't you wearing your shirt? And why do I feel so tight around the chest?"  
  
He looked at her, somewhat relieved and a little concerned. "The tight thing around your chest is my shirt. It's there to keep the blood from flowing out. You nearly died." She looked at him.  
  
"Not dead yet," she whispered. She smiled a little. "Not dead." He embraced her again. She was still a little weak from all the healing she'd received.  
  
"Hopefully never dead. Not until I'm gone." He wiped off her face with one of the less bloody sleeves of the shirt, then kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Not until after I'm gone."  
  
He picked her up and carried her out of the Sanctum. The others were waiting outside. They had waited outside with respect, but Felix had a look of pure suspicion on his face. "What were you two up to in there?" he asked.  
  
Sheba looked at her adopted brother with fierce eyes. "What does it matter to you?" she asked in a slightly stronger voice.  
  
Piers mentally thanked the Gods. She was better at dealing with her brother than he was. Still, he couldn't agree with her point of view on the Q'tiil man. {She may have been born from that foul stock, but she was raised in a kind and caring environment. She's nothing like them.} She turned to look at him.  
  
"Piers, I only wish we could see eye-to-eye. I'm going to miss you when I go back to my friends. Please help us." He shook his head; still, he kept a firm hold on her, not daring to let her drop.  
  
"I can't. I just can't." She looked at him with large, sad eyes. "I'm sorry. I just can't explain." She frowned at him.  
  
"Put me down." Slowly, he let her down. She ripped off his shirt and threw it at him. "Take your bloody shirt and go off to your real friends." The shirt hit him in the stomach. He doubled over, a look of surprise on his face. "That hurt, Piers. If you can't tell me, then who can you tell?" He frowned at her question. She looked over to Ivan and Feizhi. They each lent her a shoulder. Slowly, the three of them walked off to Kay's house.  
  
***  
  
8BTFreek: Here's the translation: (1): Sheba, hold on. Your lover will heal you. Hold on, little comrade.  
  
Eshli: Y'know, the language thingy does look like random typing.  
  
8BTFreek: But there's a pattern to the typing, and a pattern to the pronunciation, and I actually have continuity.  
  
Eshli: I'll give you that.  
  
8BTFreek: Well, there you have it. Time for the next chapter in about five months (somewhere in that time-frame I'll put it up.)  
  
Gannon: Bah, you'll put it up sooner. I know you, you cheap, nasty bastard. You'll put it up within the month.  
  
8BTFreek: Not likely. But please, review. The more reviews you give me, the better I'll be in the next chapter. I'm looking for inspiration. Who knows? You might inspire me. So send in those reviews! 


	10. Mother, Father

8BTFreek: Well, I'm back. Did you miss me? ducks thrown tomato I thought so. Let's read those reviews!  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
Joker: Wow, that's interesting. Hmm... I like the second. Perhaps next chapter. Actually, I was somewhat disappointed that you just accepted it. How cold and heartless do you think I am? Besides, I already said it was an important plot twist...  
  
tigerlily98: Yeah, she is. Well, at least you're satisfied. Hope you like this chapter too.  
  
Mesoforte: I'm sorry for not reviewing chapter 7. I could swear I did... Thanks for liking the chapter.  
  
Allexandra: Thanks for the review. Well, off to writing!  
  
ACL: Depressing? How? Thanks for reviewing anyway.  
  
Rallalon: Because yours was more of a "chapter yell" in my eyes, but I did see a halfhearted attempt at a "Sheba Yell" in there. If the death threat had been a little more severe, I would've counted you as four. Yeah, it was like the Kibombo, except Gobamba was sorta real... in a way... Um... There's an easy way to take care of that. Just send over someone else. That way, the OBHL can get Ollie and I get another one to deal with - so long as it isn't Adrian. It's hard for me to harm an OC I created for someone else.  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
8BTFreek: Well, this one's up and written in under a month!  
  
Gannon: Told you.  
  
8BTFreek: Shut up. Unfortunately, I won't be on very much in June - I've got a trip to Germany that's going to take the entire month. Thought you ought to know.  
  
Eshli: Why? Why are you going to abandon us for a month?  
  
8BTFreek: Exchange program. Sorry, readers! Sorry, people who I review stories of! Well, while I'm still here, here's chapter 10: Mother, Father! The song kick is still going strong.  
  
Gannon: And Freek doesn't own Golden Sun or Journey.  
  
Chapter 10: Mother, Father, or The Children's Decision  
  
Children. In some places, they are meant to be seen, not heard. This is often the case in Felix and Hama's home, especially since the twins would be making too much noise otherwise. Yes, Wil and Josef were trouble. Fortunately, it was easy to pick them apart - unless they made a mess.  
  
Wil was glad to go see Aunt Sheba and Uncle Ivan arrive. He'd blamed the mess he made on Josef so that he wouldn't be left behind as punishment. Fortunately, his parents had fallen for the bait. {Parents are so easy to trick,} he thought as he walked alongside them to meet his favorite almost-never-here aunt and his favorite never-here-but-still-alive uncle. That's when he'd met Aunt Feizhi. He told Josef all about her, of course - how her hair was like their mom's only worn differently, how she clung onto Uncle Ivan's arm like a person in a river clings to a branch, how she seemed to know Uncle Isaac.  
  
Josef had simply nodded his head and asked their dad if Wil was lying. He knew Wil was a chronic liar. But Dad said yes, there was a new aunt.  
  
On the third day of the visit, their parents had dropped them off with Missus Dora and Gramma Erica. Their husbands were there too, but Mister Kyle and Grampa Jim just sat around talking about "the good old days," whatever those were. Wil was curious, but Josef didn't really care. Of course, that might've been because Josef was too busy blasting Wil's stuff with lightning to care. Wil just fixed his things, then made vows to break Josef's stuff when he figured out how.  
  
Josef didn't care. He'd read the adults' minds and knew all about the "good old days", and he'd read Wil's mind and knew how to protect his toys. He shrugged, then went to play with Jade, his younger cousin - {but she's only my younger cousin 'cuz Uncle Isaac and Aunt Jenna didn' get married 'til they was twenny. An' then they had to, or Jade woulda been "born outta wed lock," Mom says. It doesn' sound too good. I hope I'm not "born outta wed lock."}  
  
On the day of the Blow-dart incident, Wil and Josef were outside, up the hill from Miss Kay's house. Mister Albert and Missus Alicia, Miss Kay's parents, had come to live there. Neither of the boys understood why the two had gone to live there, and neither cared too much, to tell the truth. Josef had shrugged it off, while Wil just asked if they were staying for a while.  
  
A few moments later, the boys were playing outside when Sheba was shot with the blow-dart. "Did you see that, Jos? Why'd Aunt Sheba fall down? What's that red stuff on her dress? Why's Mister Piers running over to her? What's that thing Dad's got?" Josef was asking almost the exact same questions of Wil, save one.  
  
"Wil, I think that stuff is blood." Wil jumped up and dragged Josef to his feet. He was about to go and investigate, but investigation wasn't necessary. Their father and "Mister Piers" were bringing their beloved Aunt-who's-almost-never-here to the Sanctum, which was close to their Grandparents' house. They saw their dad standing outside the sanctum. "Dad," asked Josef, "what's goin' on with Aunt Sheba?"  
  
Their father turned to look at them and patted them both on the head. "Josef, Wilym, go back to Mom and Dad. This isn't something for kids to see. Just wait, and I'll tell you what's going on." Wil was angry. He didn't want to be brushed aside; he wanted answers. Josef turned to go back, but Wil grabbed his brother's hand and looked in the door. Inside, he saw Aunt Sheba lying on the table. He ran off then, dragging Josef behind.  
  
"What was that about?" asked Josef the minute Wil stopped running.  
  
"I dunno, but something's wrong with Aunt Sheba. Maybe we outta tell Miss Kay an' her friend." Before Josef could respond, Wil ran into the house. "Miss Dora! Gramma! I'm gonna be playing with Jade, 'kay?" A faint shout of "fine" echoed from the kitchen. Wil ran into his cousin's temporary bedroom and got her to follow him out. Mainly by pulling her and dragging her and telling her to come with many times. Finally, she duck-stepped out behind him. Josef was there, just about to shout at Wil, when Wil ordered Josef to help with Jade. Quickly, the three youngsters made their way to Miss Kay's house.  
  
A small knock on the door sent Kay flying. "Who is it?" she shouted.  
  
"It's us, Miss Kay! Me'n'Josef'n'Jade! Let us in!" She raced to the door upon hearing their voices and opened the door. "Thanks Miss Kay," muttered Wilym as he helped his younger cousin in. Josef was standing behind Jade, making sure she didn't fall. "We wanna know what's goin' on with Aunt Sheba!"  
  
"Wilym, why did you bring Jade? Wait, don't answer. I suppose you told your father you were coming?" Wilym shook his head. "Why not? No, don't answer that, either. I'm not sure I want to know. We really should get you back to Dora and Kyle's place." Wilym shook his head again. Kay was getting frustrated. "Fine, just sit here on the couch." Wilym nodded - {finally!} - and got up on the couch. His brother also got up, still dragging Jade. Kay rolled her eyes and took Jade from her cousin's arms. "Now then, just sit there." She left, taking Kay into another room.  
  
A few minutes passed before she re-entered the sitting room. Following close behind was Rhoen. "Kay, I don't understand."  
  
"It's really very simple, Rhoen. I want you to watch the terrible twins until Ivan and Feizhi get back. I'm going to visit Mom and Dad and tell them what happened with these barbarians and their captive princess." Just then, the "captive princess" started to toddle away. Rhoen scooped her up and sat her down on the couch. "And be sure to ask the boys a lot of questions about what they did. I want to know why they did this." Rhoen nodded. Kay left the house. Sitting down on the chair opposite the couch, he sighed.  
  
{This is really not my day,} thought Rhoen as he sat down in the chair. Letting a sigh escape him, he said, "So, which one of you two is Wilym?" The taller, brown-haired one raised his hand. "Should've guessed. So, you're Josef?" The shorter one, who had purple hair with brown streaks, nodded. "Well, which of you two wants to tell me what happened?" Josef took a deep breath.  
  
"Mister Kay's Friend Sir-" he began. Rhoen cut him off.  
  
"The name's Rhoen." He tried to say it with friendliness, but his voice was firm.  
  
"Okay. Mister Rhoen, this morning Aunt Sheba was shot an' a lotta blood started coming out. Wil wanted to know what was goin' on, so he went an' asked Dad, but Dad said to go 'way. Wil didn' like it, but he nodded anyway. Then we went back to Gramma Erica an' Grampa Jim's. Mat told me to wait outside - he used his weird Dad voice, too - an' when he came back, he had Jade with him. He used the Dad voice an' told me to help him an' made me stand behind her 'cuz she might fall - she's not as balancing as us - an' then we came here!" The boy was out of breath by the time he finished.  
  
"Yeah," said Wilym, "but Jos held us up 'cuz he didn' know what to do! He wanted to know if Dad said it was ok. Mister Rhoen, what happened to Aunt Sheba?" Rhoen shook his head.  
  
"Kids, I think it's best if we wait until later." He used his authority as an adult, as well as a little bit of forceful command. "Tell me about your families."  
  
Wilym seized the opportunity to say everything he knew about his family. Josef made occasional corrections, like saying that Isaac was his older uncle, and that they had three aunts now, not two, if Wilym hadn't been lying.  
  
The two went on for hours about their past squabbles, their parents, their aunts & uncles, their grandparents, their cousin - who was fast asleep by this time - their neighbors, the people who came from far away, the big rock thing that sometimes came into their dreams, pretty much everything they knew.  
  
As the twins finished, Ivan and Feizhi burst through the door, helping Sheba between them. "Aunt Sheba!" cried Josef. "Aunt Sheba! You're ok!"  
  
Mat jumped up and yelled, "Hi Uncle Ivan! Hi Aunt Sheba! Hi Aunt Feizhi! We was just telling Mister Rhoen 'bout you!"  
  
Sheba glared at the two boys. "Do your parents know you're here?" Wil shook his head. She then saw Jade. She gasped. "Do Isaac and Jenna know that their daughter is here?" Wil shook his head again. Josef sunk into the chair, preparing for the worst. "Wilym James Williams, explain yourself! You too, Josef!" Wil shook his head. "No you don't! Tell my why you're here, and explain why you brought Jade!" Wil shook his head harder.  
  
Josef couldn't stand it. "We only wanted to see if you're ok! We was worried! Can you blame us?" Sheba's face softened, and she shook her head. "Ezackly! Wil was the one who wanted to bring Jade - ask him why!" Just then, Kay burst through the door.  
  
"Josef Michael Williams, come here!" Josef jumped off the couch and slunk over to Kay. "Why did you follow your brother here?"  
  
"He needed help with Jade, Miss Kay ma'am!" He knelt and folded his hands. "Please don't make me go back! I wanna stay! I like Mister Rhoen! He listens to my stories! He's a real good listener!" Sheba looked at Kay and urged her to come over to the table and relate her experience. Ivan and Feizhi sat their charge down, then went over to play with their nephews and now-awake niece.  
  
"So, Kay, how did negotiations go?" Kay took a deep breath, then explained.  
  
"What?!" Felix jumped a mile into the air at Kay's words. "I thought I told them to just play! I never told them to go over to your place!"  
  
"That's not all, Felix. Jade's there, too." At these words, Isaac whipped his head around and looked at Kay.  
  
"Jade's at your place, too? But I left her with Mum..." A bewildered look crossed his face.  
  
"Look," said Felix, "we're not going to get anywhere just talking. Let's see our parents. After all, we left the kids with them. They should know if the children left." Isaac nodded, as did Kay. The three ran to the house where the three sets of parents were living.  
  
Dora answered the door. "Isaac! Oh, and you too, Felix! Kay as well! Come on in, come in!" They needed no second invitation. Their hostess was very kind to all of them. "So, what's the reason for the visit? And don't tell me you don't need a reason," she added, "because you would've brought your wives otherwise. Well, except you, Kay, dear." Kay smiled.  
  
"We just wanted to check on our kids, Mom," said Isaac. "If it's not too much trouble." She smiled at him.  
  
"Of course it's not. Jade's in the second room on the left down the hall. Wil and Josef are in the room across the hall from her." Dora smiled as she added, "The boys are playing with Jade in her room right now." Isaac jumped up and looked in the two rooms.  
  
"Mom," he asked, "where did you say Jade was?"  
  
"In her room," replied Dora, her smile fading. "Why? Isn't she there?"  
  
"No, she isn't... Mom, do you know what Kay said?" Dora turned to look at the eldest daughter of the Roberts family. "Tell her, Kay."  
  
"I told him that your granddaughter arrived with Wilym and Josef at my doorstep, and Wil and Josef told me that something had happened to Sheba. I left them alone with my guest." At Dora's disapproving glare, she said, "Dora, Rhoen's as gentle as a lamb! The kids are just fine in his care. I know! He's a real sweetheart. He really is."  
  
"It's not that, Kay. I'd probably like him if I met him. It's just... I've never met him, and I want to make sure my granddaughter's safe! Maybe if I met him, I'd feel safer leaving the children with him. But Kay, he's a stranger to me."  
  
"Come over in a little bit, and I'll introduce you to him. Felix, if you really think your kids won't be safe just because they're with Rhoen, don't worry. In case you've forgotten, Ivan, Feizhi, and Sheba are all staying there, too. And yes, I think Sheba will pull through. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back home." She had become a little colder in voice in the last few minutes, and her attitude was colder still. A fit of cold rage came over her as she looked at Felix and Isaac. {Incompetent morons. They should know that he's ok! Why else would I let him stay over?} She grew angrier as she walked - no, stormed - off to her house.  
  
"And that's the whole tale. I'm expecting Dora to come by sometime today." Sheba sat in her chair and said nothing during the whole tale. Finally, she spoke.  
  
"Well, I'd like to see it when she looks around and sees her granddaughter laughing at the strange man who entered town a week ago. Although, truth be told, he's a natural around kids." Sheba smiled. Her voice was a little weak, but she'd been through intense healing, if Felix hadn't been lying. "I think you'll impress Dora favorably."  
  
The door burst open for a second time that day. Three women crowded the doorstep. Dora rushed in and looked for her granddaughter. Hama followed behind quickly, grabbing her normally quiet son by the arm. Jenna was the last in. When she saw Jade giggling happily at Rhoen's face, her face softened. "It's like she is with Isaac," she muttered. Rhoen looked at the three, his face dropping. Dora walked over to him. He stood up.  
  
"I beg your pardon, ma'am. The name's Rhoen." He looked down at Jade. "I believe she's yours?" He directed the question at Jenna, who was standing behind Dora. "She's got your hair and eyes." Jenna smiled at the comment.  
  
Dora smiled at him. "I'm Dora, and this is Jenna. We were just wondering if Jade was here." She nodded. "It appears she likes you."  
  
"She's only an infant. She's got no reason to like me, but no reason to hate me, either. Truth be told, I like little kids. They're uncorrupted... unlike me..." He looked Jenna in the eyes. "Madam Jenna, your husband's Lemurian friend, Piers... Do you know him?" She nodded. "Would it surprise you to learn that the one thing he'd like to do to me is plant a blade between my ribs?" She shook her head.  
  
"Although why, I can't imagine. I mean, you seem like a kind man." He averted his eyes. "And Jade likes you. She tends to like good people." He locked his eyes on the child. Hama had already left. Kay walked up to him.  
  
"Rhoen's a nice guy," she agreed. "Almost like Isaac in some ways. Almost. How about we talk about things over a cup of hot tea?" Jenna nodded.  
  
A stone figure changed its place on the board. Two figures moved away from another. A male figure was now missing its companions. Alex nodded as he noted the changes. {Only three hundred sixty-four days,} he muttered. {He'll never get them all on his side before then.} He forced himself to pull a monster through the portal. It wasn't much, but it was food, and food was essential. He created a goblet of water using Mercury Psynergy and began his meager feast. Soon, he would live the life of a king. Soon.  
  
8BTFreek: Well, that's that! Chapter 10 all done! Now onto the next chapter! If I can finish it, it'll be up before Germany. Otherwise, expect it to be a while.  
  
Eshli: A long while. I still don't like you abandoning us.  
  
8BTFreek: It's not abandoning. Well, review, please!  
  
Eshli: Yeah, review, or I'll fly over in a spacecraft and rain destruction upon your pitiful village!  
  
8BTFreek: Riiiiight... 


	11. Separate Ways

8BTFreek: E3 is heaven on earth... I love you, Nintendo... There is no greater good tha- Hehheh... Uh, you didn't see that... A-hrem! Nice to see that people reviewed. Let's respond!  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
ACL: When did what come about? Thanks for the review, at any rate.  
  
Mesoforte: Yeah, I'm going there, but I'm more nervous than excited. Thanks for liking the change in perspective. It's not what you would've expected, is it? Thanks for reviewing, as always.  
  
Allexandra: Strange? Well, I tried to model them off of the kids I've observed, always curious and anxious to tell everything that happened to them and all that. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Ral: Yeah, I meant Wil. Actually, originally they were going to be named after Mat & Rand in WoT, but I decided against it, using the names that I like to use instead of the actual characters' names in Golden Sun. As for your Alex comment: How's he going to make fire? Unless you forgot, he didn't get the full power of the Golden Sun. That also means that... [catches self before he says too much] You'll find out.  
  
Joker: Re-grabbed interest? I lost your interest at one point? [curses to self for making readers lost... or just disinterested] Well, hope that your bad mood's passed!  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
8BTFreek: Well, the chapter's beginning. And yes, the song kick is still on. Some chapters might not have a song title, but most will. Trust me. [grins evilly]  
  
Eshli: Ugh! Okay, Dad doesn't own Golden Sun.  
  
Freek: Yeah, because if he did, I would've gotten to beta-test it.  
  
Gannon: Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, either.  
  
Freek: Damn you! I'm going to need to figure out a way to win a hostile takeover on ten bucks. Well, chapter 11's still on the Song Kick!  
  
[XI]Chapter 11: Separate Ways, or A Split within a Split[XI]  
  
Jenna took another sip of tea. Usually, Hama was the one drinking tea with Kay, but seeing as how the two weren't on speaking terms for the moment, Jenna had taken her place. {Vile drink, tea. It ought to be banned.} Still, she accepted the cup, mainly because she didn't want to offend her friend. "So, how are things going, Kay?"  
  
Kay smiled. "Things are going just fine." Her smile twitched a little. "Rhoen's carving figures all day long, Ivan and Feizhi are... I won't go there. And Sheba..." The smile upset completely. "Sheba's pining over Piers, and if she even thinks of going near Rhoen..." She growled, a deep guttural noise coming from her throat. "Just because they're from the same place doesn't mean they can..." The growl rose again.  
  
Jenna's eyes had widened during the remarks about Sheba. "Kay, trust me. Sheba has about as much romantic interest in Rhoen as she does in Felix - probably less. The only reason why she would approach him is to learn more about what he has to say about her birthplace." Jenna had been one of three allied with Piers to believe that Rhoen was telling the truth. All of those on Kay's side accepted that for fact.  
  
"Still, if she does..." The growl rose again. A burst of knowledge entered Jenna's mind.  
  
"You love him, don't you?" Kay looked puzzled. "Rhoen, I mean. You love him, and you want to make sure his heart doesn't wander."  
  
"Nonsense," muttered Kay. "Utter nonsense." She spoke in a slightly louder tone. "There is no reason to suspect that I might be falling in love with my house guest." Jenna rolled her eyes. "Don't do that! What makes you think I'm in love with him?"  
  
"Well, other than the fact that you can tell me his sleeping and eating habits and the fact that you take almost any suggestion of his as being absolute truth, there's no reason to think you're in love or even possibly obsessed." Kay blushed. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, it's just... strange. Tell him, Kay. I guarantee he won't say no. In fact, I think he's in love with you."  
  
"Nonsense again. Who could love me?" She sighed. "Look at me, Jenna. I'm twenty-three. I'm not young; I'm not beautiful. Sure, I'm pretty - pretty ugly. There's nothing about me that could attract him, despite what his carvings look like." Jenna arched an eyebrow. "Well, it's just that he has me depicted as a heavenly being or something like that. You know - an unearthly beauty, if you will."  
  
Jenna leaned back. "Well, it sounds like Rhoen is deeply in love with you. Of course, you could just ignore my five years of dealing with love, but it's your choice." She set down the teacup. "Such a vile drink. Oh, and Mia, Isaac, and I will be dropping by later today." Kay nodded, dazed by the double blow she had been dealt. "Kay, dear, it's not that you don't make good tea; you probably do. I just don't like to drink the stuff." She stood and walked out.  
  
[XI]  
  
A knock interrupted Rhoen's work. "Come in." The doorknob turned, admitting Kay. Immediately, he set down his tools and indicated that she should sit next to him. He could tell she was looking at the carvings that now covered most of the room. "What is it, Kay?"  
  
She was having a hard time accepting something, he could tell. She was behaving rather nervously, and she had to swallow twice before she talked. "Rhoen... do - do you think I'm... beautiful?" The question was not what he was prepared for, and he barely had time to think before he answered.  
  
"What kind of question is that? Of course you are, what gave you the idea you wer-" He clamped down on his mouth. "I mean, uh, yes. Yes you are. You're very beautiful. More beautiful than the sunset over the o-" He caught himself again. His face was beginning to grow hot. This was frustrating. {Keep your distance from the women of this place! Honestly, you're being too forward with-} His thoughts stopped as she kissed his cheek.  
  
"You're sweet," she said. "But it's not true, I know it isn't." She was sitting next to him, looking away from him. "I'm ugly, aren't I?"  
  
It took him a moment to get over the fact that she'd kissed him, but his answer was almost instantaneous. "Absolutely not! If you're ugly, then I'm my father!" He stood up, pulled her up, and planted a kiss on either cheek. "Why else should I fa - er, I mean, accept your hospitality?" The reasoning was flawed, he knew, but it was the best cover he could come up with. He didn't want her to fall in love with him. He was unworthy.  
  
"But I am! Er... I mean... What were you going to say?" She had become curious with his last statement, he guessed. Some things shouldn't be said, and that was one of them. He clammed up. "Well?" He remained silent. "Tell me!" she shouted. Silence. "Tell me or I'll kick you out!" That caused him to jump.  
  
"I was about to say, 'Why else should I fall in love at first sight?' Of course, the real question is probably 'who wouldn't fall in love with you.' To me, anyway. I'd better say it. Kay, I have spent not more than a week in your presence, and already I love you. It's not that I can't find anyone else; it's more that I don't want to have anyone else. I want you, if you'll have me." He hung his head, a dour look placed on his face.  
  
For a few moments, Kay was speechless. Then, she placed a hand on his chin and jerked his head upwards. "Don't drop your head. Just, please, answer this one question. Why me?" He locked eyes with her.  
  
"The truth of it is, I thought you were beautiful, and I admired your skill with gardening. You were the one person who trusted me when I got here. I have a question for you, though. Do you..." His throat tightened. He couldn't speak. "D-do you..." The words refused to come.  
  
They didn't need to. "I guess... I do." She grabbed him in a tight embrace, one that he swiftly returned. They were in each other's arms, and they were happy.  
  
[XI]  
  
Piers paced Felix's den. "How do I get her to come back to me?" he asked his friends. Garet shrugged.  
  
"What's her favorite flower? If you give her some of those, maybe she'll be willing to make up. Anyway, I've just got to figure out a way to get back in Mia's good graces. Lately she's been kind of... feral. Wild. Getting all these crazy ideas, you know. Feeling like you're wrong." He didn't dare voice his opinion, but Mia did produce a convincing argument.  
  
"Well, there's no reason to suspect Piers is wrong. After all, he's probably older than any of us. Just how much older I still haven't been able to pry out, but it's somewhere over twenty, I think." Piers shot him a look that could be interpreted as pretty much anything.  
  
"Well, if I can find them, she likes roses. Unfortunately, there's not a single rose in Vale." Piers didn't mention the rose bushes in Kay's garden, but that was probably because he always refrained from mentioning anything that had a connection with Kay, save Sheba.  
  
Garet, on the other hand, had momentarily forgotten that Piers disliked hearing anything about anything that had a connection to Garet's sister. "Well, there's always..." He trailed off at a cold glare from Felix. "I'm going to go out for a stroll. I might not be back until late," he said, striding out of the room. As he exited, he could hear Mia talking with Jenna.  
  
"I don't know, Jenna. I mean, I tried to tell him, but he didn't seem to believe..." His heat spun to look at them and he walked in their direction.  
  
"That's because it sounds too strange to be true." The two spun to look at him. Neither of them seemed very happy. "I have a reason to be out here. I was just walking, and I heard you two talking about me. At least, I think it was me." He shook his head.  
  
"Um, yes, we were talking about you..." Mia stared at the ground. "But it was nothing bad."  
  
"You sounded a little angry." She turned red, and stared harder. It seemed like she was trying to focus on a blade of grass. "It's the Sheba thing, isn't it? I don't know, I just have a hard time believing it. But you do make it sound true. I just don't know. I haven't seen her since this whole split began." He looked at Mia. "Don't be embarrassed, Mia. I just want to be sure." He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Mia, it's been only a couple of weeks since he's been here, but already we're growing more distant. Tell me what's wrong. I'll try to fix it."  
  
Her mouth opened slowly. "It's just... so much has happened." She turned to face him, her face furiously red. "How could you abandon your sister like that?! After all, she is your sister! For the love of Weyard, how could you?" He hung his head in shame.  
  
"Something told me it was dangerous. I don't know - remember how we were all taken in by Piers's arguments?" She blinked twice, nodded slowly. Garet continued. "But now, I'm having doubts. Doubts planted by you. If you'd like, we could go to my sister's place. It's frozen solid in there." He jerked his thumb in the direction of Felix and Hama's house. "Besides, it's about time I made amends with her." Mia nodded, smiling slightly.  
  
Together, the two of them walked off. Isaac and Jenna joined them at the doorstep, Jade standing between the two pairs. Isaac knocked on the door. The one to open it was Sheba. "Oh, hi Isaac. Hey Jenna, Mia." She bent down and ruffled Jade's long brown hair. Then she turned her attention to Garet. "Garet," she said with an almost frosty tone.  
  
"Hey, Sheba," he said. "Uh... I want to... to..." Kay stood in the door behind the short blonde woman. "I wanted to apologize to my sister, so if you could let me in?" Sheba sighed, glared at him, and let the five in. Garet went straight to Kay and bent his head. "Sorry for ostracizing you. I didn't mean to let it go so long - is it too late to make amends?" Kay shook her head, then smiled.  
  
"Welcome back home, little brother." Garet smiled too.  
  
[XI]  
  
Alex sat watching the stone board. The Wise One had kept the beasts from flowing through the portal for three days now. He could barely stay awake. Finally, he screamed with rage. "WISE ONE!!!"  
  
The docile rock-man teleported into the room. "Yes?"  
  
"You've been cutting off my food supply. Return it, or Fate will be wrecked."  
  
"You wrecked it already. Do you think I could care about ruining it more?" Still, he allowed a single beast in - a rat. Alex blasted it with a lightning bolt. He took a bite. The Wise One shook his head. "You've been playing with the Chosen Ones."  
  
Alex swallowed, then said, "No, there's a difference. I've been observing."  
  
The Wise One made a motion with his eye that was close to a smile. "And I've been playing with you."  
  
Alex glared over his dinner. "What is play to the cat is death to the mouse."  
  
The Wise One returned his glare. "Listen to the pot call the kettle black." Alex let out a scream of rage before tearing off another chunk of meat.  
  
[eoc]  
  
8BTFreek: Well, that's chapter 11.  
  
Eshli: Eew... Alex is gross...  
  
8BTFreek: Beggars can't be choosers. Anyway, I'm doing requests, if you have any. I'd like to do another OneShot Songfic, but I'm having trouble figuring out the "what." E-mail me with your requests. I'll try to keep up with them.  
  
Eshli: And review, or... [whispers to Freek] what threat do we give them?  
  
8BTFreek: Well, here's the threat. Review, or I will torment you with horrible singing!  
  
Eshli: That's not a threat. [pulls out a sign saying "Review or I will end the world with pyrotechnics that will only be seen from space"] That's a threat.  
  
8BTFreek: Dammit! Movie quotes in the author's notes, cliches in the chapter... bloody hell. Review, or I'll send you an e-mail with thousands of cliches. 


	12. Turn to Stone

8BTFreek: Another chapter, another set of reviews. Let's answer them!  
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:  
  
Rain Child: I read, I reviewed, and thanks for the review.  
  
Mesoforte: I am afraid I cannot confirm nor deny your opinion. Suffice it to say that if you read the chapters carefully, you will find proof of what you seek. And yes, Alex does deserve that. Poetic justice, I think. And also, I should probably mention that [noise in background blocks out Freek's voice] Thanks for the review.  
  
Allexandra: Yeah, it's taken them a while to realize it and... Well, you'll see. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Ral: I know! I myself enjoy a cup of green tea every once in a while. I just don't see Jenna liking tea all that much. I think she's more of a coffee person. As for your question, I don't believe Alex got the full Golden Sun. And the reason why Isaac didn't display a big power increase is because it's power over FIRE, which he's never had cause to use. However, I also feel that Isaac mainly got the power to heavily resist fire, and since Alex is a Mercury Adept, he'd need to actually gain the full power of the Golden Sun to use the power of fire. Of course, I'm just opining. And as for your PS... Holier events have not been prophesized. Too bad it won't happen any time soon...  
  
Joker: Oddly enough, the GS character I identify myself with the most is Garet - he's larger than the rest of his friends, stronger in some ways, and determined. He doesn't make a decision unless he feels he has enough information, and he'll stick to his decision until he's forced to look it over. He has his own quiet intelligence, which tends to make others think he's dimwitted or slow, but he just wants to make sure he's done the right thing. He's also almost always hungry. I just wish I could use Psynergy... [misty look covers eyes]  
  
END RESPONSES  
  
8BTFreek: I'm sorry for leaving you guys hanging so long. To make up for it, I'll put up five new OneShots very soon. 'Kay? Well, let's see, the song kick is still on, the song title is by ELO (the Electric Light Orchestra, in case you didn't know - and shame on you if you didn't!) and Camelot owns Golden Sun and The Lost Age, as well as all characters, places, and ideas, except for what I made up (including a whole civilization.)  
  
[XII]Turn to Stone, or How to Prophesize Without Experience[XII]  
  
The board had evolved in the past few days. At first, it had merely been styled after a checkerboard. Later, as the pieces began moving to match their counterparts' alliances, the board took on a whole new look. Slowly, it had changed from being plain stone to being a replica of a cutaway view of Vale. Three houses and one mountain were all that should be concentrated on, though.  
  
In one house, the figures of Hama, Felix, and Piers all huddled close together. In another, Kay and those who were joined in opinion with her stood alongside each other. And in the third week of Alex's imprisonment, Isaac's figure, along with Jenna's, Mia's, and Garet's, moved to a third corner.  
  
All of the Jupiter Adepts had purple glows surrounding their statues' bases. The Mars Adepts had red, the Mercury Adepts blue, and the Venus Adepts green. Alex's statue's base switched between blue, purple, and green. The Wise One glowed gold, and Rhoen's had an odd mixture - blue and red mixed with a silvery color.  
  
Also, bonds were shown on the board by means of Psynergetic "strings", little lines that connected the figures. Lovers were connected by gold strings, and those who were married had gold strings of double thickness. Copper-colored strings connected friends that weren't lovers, gray strings connected those who were somewhat enemies, and black strings connected those who hated each other. Double-thickness black strings signified mortal enemies.  
  
But details bore some people, and so we must turn away from the board for a moment. Standing in the room, some distance from said board, are four statues, one in each "corner" of the circular room. Yes, "corner." They form a square. So sue me. Anyway, each statue represents one of the Four Elements of Alchemy. A man stands, connected by almost-invisibly Psynergetic strands to three of the statues. The fourth holds a small connection to a man so far away that the strand just dissipates before it reaches him, but he holds the power of part of the Golden Sun.  
  
The man in the room, however, is digging through the bare rock. His thoughts are on empire, on conquest, on destruction. He uses his powers to drill through the mountainside, trying to force a way out. He will find things perfect for taking on the other side, but only if things do not change before the year is out. Occasionally, he cleans out his working-space, tossing rocks over his shoulder.  
  
In the sleepy village below, it has been three weeks since a not-so-silent menace was silenced for a short period of time. All fear it, but the place is polarized. Three groups, fighting each other silently, none budging an inch. Friendships are slowly but surely breaking, alliances are slowly but surely moving towards an inevitable battle. And not all are happy about the change.  
  
The outsider sits in his room, his lover bustles about the kitchen, the married couple are still slugabed, and the lonely one sits on the couch, bored and angry, and very lonely. (Well, what did you expect? Lonely one suggests loneliness!) But this is only one house.  
  
In another, the lovers plan a date, while the married couple looks after its child, now two. The child is a handful. The four of them do not realize the crucial nature of their position.  
  
And here is a look at the third house. The other married couple, as well as the semi-immortal, are deep in contemplation (or, in the case of the wife, slumber without the disturbing dreams that would normally plague her.) The two children are running outside, and they know nothing of the fate that could be theirs, if time is cruel.  
  
But we have digressed far enough. The board must be read, but there is nobody save us to do it. So we must look.  
  
At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than a board filled with small figurines. That is when you notice that it shifts subtly. At the feet of Ivan and Feizhi, a small child's figure flashes, almost imperceptibly. It is more frequent now than last week, when the first flash happened. Now, it is daily.  
  
Two weeks ago, the string connecting Garet and Mia briefly flashed double, then turned back to a single thin strand of gold. Around the figure of Isaac sometimes flashes a red shield. Jenna's figure keeps shifting slightly towards Sheba and Kay's figures before scurrying back to Mia's and Isaac's. The small figure of Jade sits at her father's feet. Such is not the case with Wil or Josef's figures.  
  
These small stones sit in the middle of the board, unsure of where they belong. Rhoen's figure flashes silver more often than not, signaling something. What it is, we can only guess. Kay's figure is bound to his by a thin thread of gold, and although the thread is threatening to split, change is also hanging over the pair, like a deadly cloud.  
  
Piers and Sheba are still connected by a thread of gold, but now it is slowly turning gray as they grow separate and solidify their position as enemies. Yet, for some reason, their figures are slowly creeping towards the statuettes of the twins in the center of the board.  
  
Alex is bound to all by strings of black, double-strings connecting him to everyone there. But on his end, the string connected to Mia is colored green, always a single string. What the coloration means is anyone's guess.  
  
A chip flies from Alex's refuse pile. It knocks over Rhoen's figure, which flashes a brilliant silver before reverting to its original form and straightening up. The chip bounces, eventually, landing in a part of the board that might symbolize the south of Vale, and it lands. The board absorbs it, but now a small hole is where the rock was. Another chip flies. After bouncing off of Rhoen, who once again glows silver, it strikes Alex's figure. Rhoen's figure still glows silver as the rock strikes, and Alex's figure flashes bright before falling. The stone continues to bounce, bouncing off of Kay and then hitting Alex again, and his statuette shatters, the bright flash exploding across the board before everything is repaired.  
  
Alex turns to look at his board, confused by the several flashes that came from it. Not seeing anything, he shrugs, then goes back to his work. After all, he can't waste a minute tunneling if he's to be out by the end of a year.  
  
{eoc}  
  
8BTFreek: I also apologize for the trend that happened here. It changed into the present tense because... because that's how it came from my mind. I'm sorry. [ducks down]  
  
Rand: Pathetic. Well, review. Review, or I create a large person-sized hole where you used to be. Got it?  
  
Alex: Must you be so violent? And can I kick him for making me appear so... so... detestable?  
  
Rand: Request noted and ignored, permission denied. Kicking him is my job.  
  
8BTFreek: HEY! Just please review, people. 


	13. A Day in the Life

8BTFreek: Reviews! Yay! You love me, you really love me!   
  
Rand: But it's only five reviews!   
  
Nynaeve: He gets like this when he's got more than three reviews. Haven't you realized this yet? Well, let's get to the responses before he dies of happiness.   
  
REVIEW RESPONSES:   
  
Mesoforte: Good question, but I can't answer it right now. Here's a hint: Alex did build the thing, but its present purpose was shaped by Alchemy... Thanks for reviewing.   
  
Ral: Well, strange was what I was going for. Now, on to the predictions! Most of the questions you raise will be answered, but most of them are good. As for the chips, do you really think Alex is going to drown himself in stone? No, he's the one tossing the chips. Here's a hint: That means he's responsible for the consequences outlined by the board. And congratulations on being the only one to fully analyze the board! That makes me feel so happy.   
  
Rain Child: Yes, and the CENSORED thing cut off half of my review. Listen, don't quit! You're a good author – a damn sight better than myself, if I do say so. Anyway, thanks for the review.   
  
Joker: Well, you're just going to have to guess at most of it. As for something that happens soon... Soon isn't the word I'd use. More like eventually. Thanks for reviewing, man, and have fun on your vacation!   
  
PlutoAdept: If you don't like a story, and it's not horribly written, then why review it? Come to think of it, that review sounded like a flame. uses IGNORE Cannon   
  
Allexandra: It was meant to be confusing. Thanks for the review.   
  
END RESPONSES   
  
8BTFreek: And that, my friends, is why you never provoke the destructive powers of 8BTFreek, Lord of the FreekLair (c).   
  
Nynaeve: rolls her eyes Well, can we get on? Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, although for some strange, screwed up reason he created Q'tlataresh and the Q'tiil...   
  
8BTFreek: I heard that! Anyway, on with the fic! And… What was that noise? goes off to check mysterious crash in FreekLair   
  
Chapter 13: A Day in the Life, or Just Another Day   
  
Rhoen walked out of his room at the usual 5:00 AM. He'd gotten used to the Adepts' sleeping schedule, although it still confused him. How could people sleep at five in the morning? The air was so fresh, the sky still held the beautiful shades of dark they called night, and the quiet was perfect for settling oneself in the depth of thought. From a room over, he could hear Feizhi groaning as she got up. For some reason, she had been getting sick in the morning for the past week, so she was always there to greet him. "Uh, good morning?" he asked as he looked toward the source of the noise. Her head was bent over the kitchen sink.   
  
As she raised it, she smiled weakly. "Hello, Rhoen," she said before her cheeks bulged and she had to bend over the sink again. An unpleasant sound came from the general direction. "Maybe I ought to take Kay up on her advice," she said during a pause. "Tell her what's going on." She barely got the word "on" out before she had to bend back over the sink. A horrid stink was now coming up from the sink, filling the room.   
  
It was this that woke Ivan more than the noise. "Gods," he said, sitting up in plain view of the two. "What on Weyard is that smell?" He got up and walked out of "his" room. "Oh, that. Feizhi, will you please ask Kay what's going on? Maybe then we'll know how long this will last." Feizhi straightened up, then nodded.   
  
"Well, at least it's over for now. Gods, I feel like I emptied out my insides in there. Come on in, dear, I'm just rinsing out the sink." She dragged the washbasin outside and emptied the contents onto the ground, then washed it out with water from the well. Dragging it back inside, she nodded at the two men. "Now then, what time is it?"   
  
Rhoen looked out the small kitchen window. "About 5:00. Ivan, do you know how to cook?" He knew the answer already, but he got a kick out of hearing Ivan's aggravated groan. Sure enough, Ivan groaned, an 'urgh' that sounded like he wanted to throw up.   
  
"No, no, no. Do you have to ask that question every morning? I'm tired enough as is, and that will only mean that instead of formless gray blobs, you'll get formless ash blobs. Ah, but Feizhi can cook, can't you, dear?" She smiled and nodded. Getting out some ingredients, she began to make a dish from her homeland. "That, my friend, is what she made for breakfast the first day after she arrived in the Palace. And it is that dish that I have been eating for breakfast for the past three years without complaint."   
  
She turned around and grinned at them. "That's only because you know that if you did complain, you'd wind up with this spoon in your skull," she said, waving her spoon at him, mock-sternness gracing her voice. Ivan muttered something in disagreement, but she was no longer paying attention. She worked at a cutting board, chopping up several vegetables, as well as some chicken she'd found from leftovers from the night before. Soon, a delicious aroma was wafting from the cooking area. She quickly lit a fire and began to cook the "breakfast," which was more like a lunch.   
  
Rhoen voiced this opinion. "You know, most people just make a slice of toast or something for breakfast." Ivan shot a look at him. Rhoen returned the look. "Of course, you usually end up burning the toast, don't you, Ivan?" Both men laughed at this comment, which was made funnier by the fact that it was true.   
  
"Yes, he does," said Feizhi, testing the food with her large wooden spoon. "He burns toast, he burns eggs – I think he caused some bacon that he'd been making for breakfast to catch fire once, I told him all that grease would burn if he held it over the flames…" She trailed off. "But he does chop a mean apple." She turned to face them, and the three all burst into laughter.   
  
Laughter that, for the seventh day in a row, was loud enough to wake the other two inhabitants of the house. Sheba got up grumbling, but Kay actually gave a muttered oath. "Damn it, you three, do you have to wake us up like this?" Grumbling further as she got up and shuffled to the kitchen, she couldn't help but smile at the delicious smell that came her way. "Ready to take me up on my offer yet, Feizhi?" Feizhi gave what was unmistakably a nod, adding, "Ivan will tell you what's going on." Kay turned her gaze towards Ivan.   
  
"Well, you see… she's been getting sick in the mornings. Actually, I'm surprised the pungent fumes haven't been waking you up." He shrugged. "I think you noticed her appetite, too… Um, how long is this going to last?" Kay looked at him, a look that seemed to say "You don't know what's going on?"   
  
Kay smiled at him. "Well, I can't give an exact time, but… I'd say about nine months." Ivan's jaw dropped. "Eight or nine months, then it's all over. Congratulations." Feizhi turned towards them, the spoon hanging loosely in her hand.   
  
"Nine months… nine months…" Ivan muttered it. Feizhi was confused as well. "Nine – wait a minute… What's so important about that again? There's something…" His face assumed an expression of pure concentration.   
  
"Honestly," said Kay, "are you two that thick? Feizhi, congratulations. You're pregnant." The pair turned towards her. "And before you ask, yes I'm sure. Jenna was the same way before Jade was born." Ivan and Feizhi looked at one another, then embraced each other. Kay quietly slipped over to the almost-burning food and placed it on the table. As Rhoen reached for some, she slapped his hand. "Wait 'til they're done celebrating." He nodded.   
  
"This is so wonderful!" said Ivan, holding her tight. "After all this time… Finally!" They kissed just as Sheba entered the room. She stood and watched the pair in wonder. Feizhi finally noticed her, released her husband, and walked over to Sheba.   
  
"Sheba, you won't believe it! I'm… I'm going to have a baby!" Sheba stood, eyes wide as saucers, jaw dropped, face the perfect mask of disbelief. "I know! That's what I was thinking too, but it makes sense. Every time I saw a woman with a baby back home, she'd had morning sickness for a while before that. I guess I just forgot." Sheba recovered from the initial shock and gave Feizhi a tight squeeze.   
  
"That's great," she said, smiling. "So, what's for breakfast?" Kay motioned to the table. "Hm, I think this is the eighth day we've had this. Not that I'm complaining," she added hastily, "I'd just like something different sometime soon."   
  
Kay smiled and piled some of it on a plate, handing the plate to Sheba. "Well, maybe if you got up, you could cook something else." She rolled her eyes and smiled. Everyone in the house knew that there were only two good cooks in the house, and one of them didn't like to wake up before seven in the morning.   
  
Feizhi motioned threateningly with the spoon. "Did I hear a complaint?" she asked, tapping her hand with the instrument. Sheba shook her head rather violently. "Good. I'd hate to think someone might not like it…" she said, trailing off as she motioned with the spoon.   
  
"You know, I think you could hold your own against some of the things our group's been up against," said Ivan. "All you need to do is knock them about with that spoon." She smiled at him, the kind of smile that says "That's not true, although flattery will get you somewhere." He shook his head. "No, I mean it. You could have given Dullahan a thorough smashing with that thing." He and Sheba shivered at the name of the villain. That thing did not go down easily. I wonder if it even died… I think it's still there, living, cursing us with every breath… Another shiver wracked his body.   
  
"Let's begin eating," said Kay, noticing Ivan's condition. "We'll forget all about that for now. If you want to talk about it later, we'll give you the chance, Ivan. Let's just eat." Nodding and smiling, Ivan and Sheba started eating rapidly, trying to halt the images that were rising in their minds. The others quickly followed suit.   
  
XIII   
  
Mia got up around 8:00. Now that she was no longer on the road or the only healer, she felt she could take things easy. She got up and began making herself some breakfast, noting that Isaac and Jenna were still asleep. As she passed Garet, sleeping on the couch, she thought back to a few days before. What was he trying to say? she asked herself as she walked into the kitchen. I mean, he was going to say something. But what? She grabbed some ingredients and a rather large mixing bowl. As she made her breakfast, she hummed to herself.   
  
The humming, as usual, woke Garet, who had been dreaming about Mia. I should've done it, he thought as he woke up. I should've asked her. But I just couldn't, not with all this trouble. Not with Alex still up and alive. No, I couldn't have. He walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Mia. Sleep well?"   
  
"Well," she said, "considering that nobody woke up screaming for me in the middle of the night, yes. Honestly, I like helping people, but sometimes… Sometimes, it was just too much for me. Well, at least there's two healers now," she said, turning to the mixing bowl. "I'm making pancakes. Want some?"   
  
"Yeah," he said. "Um… can I do anything to help?" He knew the answer already. She would say, "No thanks, Garet, I can do it all on my own."   
  
Which is why her answer today surprised him. "Well, I suppose you could start the ovens." He nodded quickly and used a trickle of Psynergy to light the stovetop. "Thanks," she said, turning to him and smiling.   
  
At this point, she would usually pick out the pans she used to cook the pancakes. Today, however, she stood and looked at him. "Garet," she asked, "what were you going to say? I mean, a few days ago, you acted like you were going to say something, but you didn't. What was it?" He turned and looked off to the side.   
  
"Well, I was going to… But times are just too rough… I couldn't… But I want to…" He struggled with the words. She knew something was making him like this. He wasn't normally this jumpy, and he usually finished his sentences, even if he didn't always say the right thing. "Well… I might as well say it. I was going to ask you to marry me, but… things are just too hectic, and I got nervous," he said, finishing in a poor attempt to excuse something that he obviously found inexcusable.   
  
Mia's eyes nearly popped from her skull. "You… really? But… you didn't." Garet turned his gaze further away. "Garet, why? If you care enough that you would ask that… But why didn't you?"   
  
"Things are just… There's too much going on! And now, I'm not even sure what's going on anymore. I can't ask, because the only ones that would attend would be my parents, Aaron, Isaac, Jenna, and Jade. The others just… They'd be really angry if certain people came, and really crushed if I didn't invite them. And I don't want to alienate my friends." He turned to face her, and knelt. "I'm sorry I didn't ask before, but I guess that hurt both of us. I beg your forgiveness." He bowed his head in shame.   
  
"Concerned about alienating your friends… Well, alienating people is easier than making friends with them. I forgive you your error." She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him up, then embraced him. "Garet…" He held tight to her. "You know how I feel about you. I'll always feel that way. I can't help it, and even if I could change it, I wouldn't." She kissed his cheek. "You're just… you're so concerned about others that you don't look after yourself." That's why you need me. I could look after you, keep you safe. But you're afraid. Why, Garet? Why are you so afraid? It was a somber moment, both of them in each other's arms, neither saying anything, both worried about the changing world around them.   
  
Well, Garet was worried about the changing world. Mia was worried about Garet's tendency to want to keep everyone he knew from harm. Instinctively, he held her close, trying to protect her. She pressed her ear against his neck, almost as if he were a patient. His heart was racing, although Mia couldn't tell if it was worry or hormones. She decided it was the former. "Mia… What I said a couple weeks ago was true. I missed you, and I don't want to miss you ever again. I just…" Words failed him, as was the case most of the time.   
  
She smiled softly at him. The smile eased some of his worries slightly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She raised her hands up his back to his neck. "You, on the other hand, should have cause for concern. You're going through a save-everyone-in-the-world phase again." He almost laughed at that. Almost.   
  
"Well, I want to make sure the world is safe. Are you?" That was the most straightforward way he could put it without just plain saying "you are my world." She blushed and tried to look away. "What? Do I have bad breath or something?" He rubbed his cheek against hers. She smiled sadly at him.   
  
The sound of something sizzling on a griddle made them both jump. There was Isaac, smiling at them. "Well, since you two were preoccupied with each other, I thought I'd make some pancakes. How many do you want?" They smiled at him.   
  
XIII   
  
Felix woke to the sounds of something frying. "Huh-who-wha?" he said, startled.   
  
"We're havin' bacon an' eggs for breakfast, Dad! C'mon, Mom says you need to get up now!" His two sons were tugging on his arms. Wil shouted a little more, just to get the point across. "If you don't come an' eat, Uncle Piers is gonna eat it all up! Mom told us t'tell you that!"   
  
Felix chuckled. "Alright, I'm getting up, you little cretins." Swinging himself into a sitting position, he stretched a little before going into their kitchen. "What time is it?" he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.   
  
"About nine, sunshine," came a familiar voice from the general direction of the sound of bacon frying. "It's about time. I thought warriors were up at the crack of dawn, getting ready to work." Hama laughed.   
  
"Actually, dear, those are farmers. Warriors typically nab all the rest they can, then go out adventuring and partying until midnight rolls around and they go on guard duty." She smacked him lightly upside the head. "What? It's the truth." He looked about. "Say, where's Piers?" he asked.   
  
"Oh, he said something about going out for a walk and went off." She put a rather large breakfast platter on the table. "And don't even think about it. That's mine. Yours is a fried egg, a slice of toast, and two pieces of bacon. If I notice anything missing…" She turned and knocked her son's wrist with the wooden spatula she was holding. "Wilym, don't take anything either. Same goes for you, Josef." The shorter twin nodded as he laughed at his brother. For that, he received a rap on the wrist as well. "And don't mock your brother," she said, staring him in the eye.   
  
Felix looked at his sons. "Boys, I think your mother runs a tighter ship than I ever did." She turned and smiled at him. "Another piece of toast?" he asked hopefully.   
  
"No," she answered simply as she pulled his plate together and dropped it in front of him. "Eat fast; I want you to follow Piers. He's hiding something; every time I tried to read his mind, he changed his thoughts. And don't ask how I knew; ask Sheba or Ivan." He said nothing, eating his hearty breakfast before going out to see what Piers could possibly up to this early.   
  
XIII   
  
Noon. Not really high noon, because that's just… well, it's a bit out of place in this setting. Rhoen and Piers had both left their houses. And when two people are actively looking for each other, they're sometimes unable to find each other, mainly because they just keep missing each other. Well, that was happening in Vale, and considering that there were several larger cities in Angara now, this would seem rather odd to most people.   
  
But it was true; Rhoen couldn't find Piers, and Piers couldn't find Rhoen. And this was fortunate for Vale, since the two were looking for each other so that they could settle a score – preferably by a fight to the death. Actually, they hadn't considered any other way.   
  
So it was rather bad timing that pushed them together at noon. Felix had managed to find Piers, and Ivan had been following Rhoen all day – or at least since the older man had left the house. And now, they had run into each other. Felix and Ivan went off to talk, mainly because they didn't want to witness their two companions beating each other into a bloody pulp. So instead, they went to the pub that had just been erected next door to the inn.   
  
Rhoen and Piers glared at each other. Piers moved for his longsword, Rhoen for his flail. "So," said Rhoen, looking at the Lemurian.   
  
"So," replied Piers, nodding. The sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath could be heard. "It's time."   
  
"Yes." The faint rustle of a cloak was also heard at this time. His fingers gripped the handle of the flail, twisting tight around it. "It is. Who moves first?"   
  
"We strike as soon as we feel like it." With those words, the two jumped for each other. Steel flew, iron twirled, both seeking blood.   
  
CLANGG!!!   
  
XIII   
  
((Outside the CharLab))   
  
Rand: to himself How this guy manages to write a cliffie while being investigating something in the CharLab?   
  
Eshli: There's a computer in there. How do you think he manages to type while creating OCs?   
  
Rand: Oh. I wonder if he's coming out soon.   
  
Gannon: Who knows?   
  
Alex: Who cares? So long as he's in there, we have free reign over the FreekLair.   
  
Nynaeve: knocks Alex on the back of the head with a staff Not so long as I'm here, bud. Well, review. That or I do the same to you.   
  
Alex: Owww… 


End file.
